Bloodlust
by Soline
Summary: Hermione discovers Snape as a vampire when he attacks her in Knockturn Alley. When he only tastes a small amount of her blood, it sends him into a wild, unsatiated desire called Bloodlust. He cannot rest until he tastes her again.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

The cobbled walk of Knockturn alley and the darkness made Hermione stumble continuously. She wanted to give the impression of an old woman, though, so it worked for her. Hermione pulled the hooded cloak tighter around her face.

"The necklace?" she whispered. She had met a goblin in the darkest corner of the alleyway. He was the mottled color of grey, with furtive eyes and curled lips. He nodded.

"Yes, lady," he said. The goblin held out a long string of leather. Hanging in the middle of it was a small crystal, with a swirl of green and black within it that strongly resembled an eye. "I want to see the goblets."

"Yes, of course," she muttered. From within her cloak she produced a case with two small, ruby-laden goblets. "They've been family heirlooms for ages," she said, turning them to let the goblin inspect. "I only just realized they belong to you. It's a deal then? The necklace for the goblets?"

"Yes," the goblin said eagerly. They exchanged at once. Hermione dropped the necklace into her bag, firmly closed the clasp, and walked away. She didn't want to give the goblin a chance to steal it back. Hermione turned the corner.

A witch was being attacked. She wasn't old but not young enough to fight hard. A dark man had his mouth at her neck - Hermione couldn't see what he was doing. His hands were otherwise forcing her against the wall. She screamed so high that Hermione flinched and then the woman sagged.

Hermione gasped.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

The man whipped around, his wand faster than hers. He was impossibly quick. Hermione didn't have time to scream again before he'd wrestled her to the ground.

"Scream again, lovely, and bring more just like me," he snarled. He was too strong for Hermione to push away. That voice, though, was so familiar. Its baritone, gravelly tone…

"Professor?"

He jerked away a little. Hermione could now see his pale face and the long incisors behind his parted lips. She whimpered as acidic fear filled her stomach.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid you've been caught at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

"You don't want to do this!"

"Oh, I very much do," he said. She could hear the lust rising behind his voice. He pressed his hardness against her hip. Hermione struggled to reach her bag - if she could reach the necklace, if it did what it was supposed to do…

He pulled her head to the side very gently, although Hermione could not fight the strength he used on her. He rolled his hips on her as his head lowered. Hermione managed to open the clasp on the bag and fumbled for the feel of a leather string or small crystal ball.

Snape licked the salty skin beneath her ear.

"You taste delicious," he purred. His teeth rubbed against her flesh. The sharp points scraped her neck and drew the smallest droplets of blood.

"No!" She finally clasped the necklace and tugged it upward as Snape licked the blood off her neck with several swipes of his tongue. Hermione fisted the necklace and slammed it against the exposed skin of his neck.

Snape roared and flung himself away. They both panted on the ground, staring at one another. Snape's teeth shrank back into his gums. Hermione still held the necklace straight out in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" He sounded angry, furious even. The necklace shook in her grip.

"I was dealing for this," she said. His eyes flickered to the necklace. "I traded a goblin for it. It's supposed to repel most Dark things… I suppose it works."

"Fucking hell," he snarled. "Of course it works - I've probably got a lasting burn on my neck."

"Oh, well, poor little you!" Hermione cried and jumped to her feet. "You've got a _burn_ on your neck! How dreadful!"

"Don't mock me, witch!"

"You almost sucked my blood dry, you vampire!"

He made a violent twitch, as if to retort, and then sighed.

"I apologize," he said quietly. Hermione watched the way he stood dejectedly. She wondered how powerful the necklace was against him. Would it keep him several feet away? "Did you hear me, Miss Granger? I'm sorry."

"I heard you." She shuffled her feet awkwardly in the silence. He wouldn't stop staring at her hungrily, like he wanted nothing more than to cut her up and eat her with a dinner fork.

"Go home," he said. "You must go home and ward your property well, and then wear the necklace at all times."

"No, I'm giving this to Harry for his birthday," she said. "And why would I ward my house?"

"Because of the Bloodlust," he said.

"What's that?" She stepped forward a little, because his voice had lowered. Snape moved toward her, his dark eyes glittering, and then jumped away again.

"Go read it in your books," he spat.

"But… how can this be?" she said. Hermione couldn't quite wrap her mind around her Potions professor being vampire.

"Never you mind, witch."

"But I don't understand…"

"Then don't speak at all." He started walking into the darkness again. Snape's dark eyes flashed over his shoulder at her. "And do as I say!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The cold glass of tea in her hand dripped sweat down her arm. Hermione was sitting on her wraparound porch and staring into the darkness beyond the porch light. She'd already warded the house and placed the necklace around her neck, but the uneasy feeling wouldn't leave her.

She'd researched as soon as she'd returned. The book she'd had express mailed only had a little information, like them all. Apparently, speaking of vampires caused terrible luck. Hermione could think of nothing else but the book.

_Bloodlust occurs when a vampire only gets a small taste of a human's blood that the vampire finds especially addictive and pleasurable. The vampire will ache and become obsessed with the human and their blood. They will not sleep, drink, or walk without longing for this human. If they do not satisfy this craving, the desire becomes harder to disguise. Any one of these chosen humans is advised to use extreme caution. Vampires under the effect of Bloodlust often kill these humans in their desire._

Hermione propped her feet up on the banister and fingered the pages of the book mindlessly. A few unwanted tears swelled in her eyes.

_If the human does not die and is neither turned, the vampire's thirst for their blood will continue. The Bloodlust lasts until the blood is gone from the human's body._

A thud sounded inside the front door. Hermione jumped clear off her seat and then sighed when Crookshanks padded past her.

She was alone at her house. She always had been. Her parents died when she was young, and Hermione had no wish to grow up in an orphanage so she faked their presence, occasionally recruiting people to act as them for a sum of money. She enrolled herself in school and lived off the money they left behind, which was more than enough. Her parents had been part of a distant royal line - quite forgotten - and not boring dentists. But then, no one would ask after people as mundane as dentists.

The large, empty house was usual, but now Hermione jumped and squeaked at every shadow.

"Come on, Crooks," she said and scooped up the cat. "You're not going out there. Not at night. Not when something might just… gobble you up."

It could have been her imagination, but she thought she heard a chuckle in the darkness. She froze for several minutes and clutched the orange fur bag to her chest.

"Bullfrogs, kitty?" she breathed. "Yes, I thought so, too. Come now, don't be a 'fraidy cat."

And she scurried inside and up the stairs to her bedroom.

The nights continued as such. Hermione would spend the early dark hours sitting on the porch, staring out at something which she was sure stared back at her. It had to be Snape out there - there'd be no other. Not unless Death Eaters had discovered her location, but she doubted that. They'd be descending on her with their first chance.

The days were harmless. Hermione could see all about her, and she felt free to go swimming in the lake and work the small, pathetic garden she tried to grow.

And then came the time she went to Diagon Alley for her new school things. Hermione balanced heavy books in the crook of her arm, with a list in the other hand, and attempted to pull down a four-inch thick Potions book.

"You look lonely in that big house."

A pale hand reached above her head to hold the book for her. Hermione nearly bit her tongue in surprise.

"Snape!" She pressed herself against the bookcase and fisted her wand. He tilted his head to study her.

"Then you've read about Bloodlust?" he said.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"No," he said. "No, it isn't that strong yet… You're wearing the necklace, good - I cannot touch you. I recommend you don't give it to Potter."

"Yes, I decided that myself," she said weakly. He looked down at his assigned Potions book, seeming to weigh a decision. Hermione took the chance to study the sharp angles of his face while he thought.

"I thought you couldn't be out in the sun," she said.

"Stories and lies," he scoffed. "Perhaps we should have lunch. The house elves could fix us something at Hogwarts-"

"No," Hermione interrupted. "We will eat here. In public."

"Good," he said, seeming like he approved of her answer. "Good girl. Don't be swayed by me."

He strode past her, leaving Hermione wondering what he meant.

"That's quite unnecessary!" she said. Snape was paying for her books. "Really, I've got more than enough money. Let me."

He handed her the receipt.

"Yes, I meant to ask about that," he said. They walked together toward a café on the corner. Snape ordered a raspberry ice cream for Hermione while she raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you eat?"

"I can if you'd like but it's unnecessary," he said. "But don't change the subject, witch. What's the truth about your house, your wealth… your parents?"

Hermione considered denying him the pleasure of knowing, but remembered that Snape was being rather friendly. This was nothing more than a dessert at the corner café, and not a run-in with a bloodthirsty killer.

"My parents weren't dentists; they were part of a royal line. They died when I was eight," she said, suddenly becoming very interested in her napkin. "There was a tornado. They turned the tub over on me in the basement, because they couldn't fit all of us. When the noise finally stopped, I managed to push the tub off…"

Snape accepted the raspberry ice cream from the waiter and pushed it across the table to Hermione. She smiled weakly at him, but he only returned a flat gaze.

"So," she began again. "So I found them about a mile away from the house, both clutched together, and I tried to bury them but I was very small. I left them there and went back to the ruined house. When I saw how everything was ripped apart, I sat down and cried the hardest I ever had. When I opened my eyes again, the house had rebuilt itself."

"You mean, you rebuilt the house by magic?" he said. He watched passersby - an attempt not to look impressed, Hermione thought.

"Yes, well, I was only a child and those things happen," she said. "Anyway, Dumbledore had seen the high magic volume in the area and went to check on it. When he found me, he stayed a few days and buried my parents for me. He promised not to tell anyone."

"You two are certainly ones for secrets," Snape said. He was watching the ice cream slide onto Hermione's tongue. She pursed her lips shut.

"I have questions," she said to draw his attention. His eyes glittered like black beetles when he looked at her. "Garlic and crosses?"

"Just stories," he said. "Although we do hate the taste of garlic."

"Stake through the heart?" she said. He smirked at her.

"Scheming, Miss Granger?"

"No, no," she flushed.

"Yes, but that would kill anyone, wouldn't it?" he said, still eyeing her suspiciously. She squirmed a little.

"How did you become a vampire?" she asked.

"If you're finished your dessert, you should go," he said abruptly. "Double check your wards when you get back. They're weak."

He put money on the table and left in a billow of black robes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione slept a little easier at night knowing that Snape could still control himself. It would get worse over time, she knew, but it was probably even safer with him outside at that moment.

She went to the Burrow for two weeks before returning to Hogwarts, and Snape must've steered clear of the busy place. It would have been too easy to be spotted at the Burrow. Hermione knew he hadn't followed her, because she couldn't feel his eyes on her. Those black, haunted eyes…

Life seemed oddly normal around Harry and Ron again. She almost believed Snape had been a dream.

And then, when she and the boys walked into the Great Hall, she fell under Snape's gaze again. She was suddenly terrified of him. His expression was so fierce and hungry when he first looked at her, for the first time in what she knew was two weeks. Had the craving become so much worse so quickly?

"What's up Snape's arse?" Ron said around a mouthful of potatoes. Hermione shrugged.

"Think he tried for the Dark Arts position and lost again?" Harry suggested.

"Won't be the last time," Ron said. "What do you think, Mione? Would Snape make a bloody awful Dark Arts professor?"

"Hm? No, he'd probably be very good," she muttered, still looking toward the professors' table. "He has first-hand experience, remember? It's just the question of how safe we'd be…"

"Yeah, he'd probably Crucio us all," Harry said.

At the table, Snape tilted his head to the side. Hermione narrowed her eyes - could he hear her? She could test it.

"I want you to taste me."

She'd said it so quietly, so breathily, that not even Ron or Harry heard. Snape, however, jumped up from the table and strode out of the Great Hall within seconds. So it was true that vampires had supernatural hearing.

They were dismissed and Hermione said goodbye to the boys as she parted toward her Head Girl room. She was nearly to her doorway when she was shoved against the wall.

"Stop it!"

But Snape had already stepped back, rubbing his hands like they'd been burnt.

"Don't play games with me," he hissed. He came as close as possible without touching her. "You knew I could hear you. Do you want to be killed?"

"No," she breathed. Snape's eyes raked over her neck. "I'm sorry."

"We're now stuck in the same castle together. There are no wards to protect you here. There's only that necklace and my willpower… which you are weakening." He glared at her.

She licked her lips, which he watched intently.

"Are you scared, Miss Granger?"

"No," she said. He smiled at her - she could see his fangs.

"You should be."

* * *

Hello! So I had a new idea for a fic which I want to satisfy, but don't worry about the others - I promise I'll finish them sometime but I can't say when. This one, though, is going to be a lot of fun... ;)

Let me know if you like it, and I'll continue for you!

Soline


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hermione hardly slept that first night in her Head Girl's room. It had rather large, stained glass windows that faced the hills behind Hogwarts. She was sure any normal person would not be able to see in, but Snape's eyes had to be extra sharp. Who knew the extent of vampires' senses?

She conjured a large sheet to drape over the windows and went about unpacking her things. She had one large room that included her bed, couch, and fireplace, and a door leading to her small bathroom. The Head Boy was supposed to be nearby, and when Hermione pressed her ear to the wall, she heard Draco Malfoy drop something and curse.

She wasn't bothered by Malfoy's ownership of Head Boy, but she hoped he didn't make their relationship difficult. Harry and Ron nearly shit bricks when she told them - they didn't need to be provoked by Malfoy's bad attitude any further.

While she laid in bed and tried to sleep, she took up her class schedule and discovered she had Potions first thing in the morning, for three times a week. She hoped Snape could control himself.

The next morning, Snape watched her from the time she entered the classroom and sat down.

"You'll be brewing advanced Potions this year, and I expect you not to muck it up," he snapped at the class. Hermione thought he was grumpier than usual. She dropped her cheek in her palm to watch him. "Open your book to page 34 and brew the Mending Potion. Someone who hasn't slacked all summer can tell me what it's for."

Hermione raised her hand, and Snape looked as if he wanted to snarl at her. She took it as permission to speak.

"The Mending Potion is used for physical healing. It can heal minor cuts and punctures of the skin. If done improperly, however, veins could rupture," Hermione said, her voice growing quieter as she spoke. Was he teaching this potion for her sake?

"Detention tonight, Miss Granger," he said. "You'll speak when I care for your opinion. You might as well keep your mouth closed."

Hermione frowned down at page 34. It was a very difficult potion.

"I expect only the best in my 7th year class," Snape continued. "This considered, anyone who doesn't brew it perfectly will not return. Now… go."

The students stared, disbelieving as Snape seated himself behind the desk and smirked at them.

"Are you teasing, sir?" Hermione gulped.

"I assure you, I'm not," he said and reclined back.

She had two hours to complete the potion, which called for the entire time period. In addition to the sweltering haze beginning to rise from the cauldrons, Snape's eyes never left Hermione. While she counted her clockwise stirs, he walked to stand close behind her.

"You covered your windows," he whispered.

"Don't distract me, Professor. I'm fighting to stay in your class."

"You won't be dismissed - seeing you calms the craving."

She glanced over her shoulder at him. The paleness of his skin frightened her and fascinated her all the same. His eyes, filled with blackness, drew her in. His closeness was swallowing her up. She felt like she was floating in a great body of water.

Snape's gaze flickered to her parting lips. She admired the way the corners of his pale lips curved so easily.

"I need to speak with you alone tonight, Miss Granger," he said.

"I won't be alone with you. Send me to detention elsewhere or I won't come."

"There are things you should be aware of, and you won't find it in books."

Hermione hesitated. She did know an abysmally small amount about vampires, and Snape's knowledge would be useful. She still had more questions, and they couldn't very well talk about his identity in public.

"All right. I'll come down at seven."

"Good. Add brandy roots," he said. "Your potion's burning."

Hermione glared at his back as he walked away. She handed in a perfect potion, and she didn't pass up the opportunity to steal an extra phial and pocket a bit of the potion for herself.

Hermione joined the boys for lunch and excused herself to her room to prepare herself to meet Snape privately. She reviewed her spell books and Dark Arts books, looking for something to use against vampires but didn't find anything.

"You clumsy boy!"

A deep voice was rumbling outside her door, sounding angry and threatening. Hermione walked outside to investigate. The door several feet down the hall was thrown open, and a broad man with long blonde hair stood in the doorway.

"Your mother and I spent a lot on that," he said. Hermione heard Draco start to protest inside the room. The man interrupted him. "And then you _dropped_ it?"

"Yes, Father, but it was an accident-"

"I absolutely will not replace it," he said. "In fact, you'll be paying us back."

"The Pensieve was a gift!" Draco said.

"A costly one at that. Maybe you'll learn to be more careful."

Hermione felt like she was eavesdropping on a family affair, and she certainly didn't want to. She moved one foot to sneak away, but Lucius turned his head to the side to stare at her. Hermione gulped under his icy stare.

"The Mudblood's the Head Girl," Draco muttered, poking his head around his father's chest.

"Yes, I see that," Lucius said.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to… I just heard raised voices and… I'll just go, hm?" And she darted, because Lucius' eyes were frighteningly intense on her.

She had shut herself in her room, pacing in nervousness about meeting with Snape, when there was a soft knock on her door. Hermione opened it, expecting Harry or Ron, and instead found Lucius.

"May I come in, Hermione?"

"No!" she blurted.

"No?" He raised his eyebrows gracefully.

"Certainly not."

"Then perhaps you should know that I can smell Severus on you. I know he tried to bite you. Is he still trying?"

Hermione stared at the older man. He was smiling in a way that said he knew much she didn't.

"Leave your wand on the table please," Hermione said weakly and stood aside. Lucius placed his wand on the door side table and perched himself on her couch.

"It would be very stupid of me to hurt you here," he said.

"Constant vigilance," Hermione echoed. Lucius stared at her neck, but Hermione swung her hair forward. "How did you know?"

"Severus' smell is always very musky and strong-"

"No, how could you know about the biting?"

"I know quite a bit about vampires, Hermione," he said. "I know much more than Severus."

Hermione didn't sit beside him, but instead remained standing against the door with her arms crossed.

"There aren't any bite marks on your neck, so perhaps he's bitten you… somewhere else?" Lucius smiled and looked her over.

"Can you tell me something?" Hermione said and ignored his last question. If he knew so much, Hermione was determined to get information out of him. "What are vampires' weaknesses?" Lucius didn't change his knowing expression, but answered her just the same.

"Vampires often come back when not killed correctly. Being staked through the heart will destroy them, and so will fire. The ashes, however, need to be spread in separate portions," Lucius said. "And Bloodlust."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, wondering if Bloodlust could truly kill Snape.

"Ah, I see you already know what Bloodlust is," Lucius said. "Denying the craving weakens the vampire."

Hermione crossed the room and poured herself a cup of tea. How weak would Snape become under denial of the craving? She didn't really want him to get sick… did she? If he did get sick, she wouldn't worry so much about him attacking her.

"But you're asking the wrong questions," he said. Hermione jumped - she was so deep in thought that she'd almost forgotten he was there. "You should know about our strengths."

"_Your_ strengths?"

"We have amazing strength and speed," he said. Lucius rose from the couch and began approaching her. Hermione stumbled back. "Some of us, the stronger ones, can fly. Some of us can never be lost. Some can swim for months without coming up for air. Some never die."

Her breath whooshed from her chest. Lucius stood so close, she could see the white flecks in his silver eyes. She suddenly felt like she was floating again, like she had been in the Potions class earlier. Her consciousness was lost amongst the confusion. Lucuis' lips parted and she could see fangs behind them. She wanted to lick them.

"And our sexuality is irresistible," he purred. He nearly touched her face, which she leaned into, before jumping suddenly back.

"Wh-what?" Hermione said. What had just happened? She rubbed her eyes vigorously.

"You're wearing Dark protection," he said. "You're going to need it."

"Get out," Hermione said and opened the door. Her knees were still shaking. Her belly felt hot.

"I know Severus very well," he said as he paused outside. "He makes a vicious, unrelenting, nearly uncontrolled vampire. If he's under Bloodlust, you don't have very long."

"Why are you helping me, Malfoy? What are you playing at?"

"Let's just say," Lucius smiled, "I like to challenge Severus - give him something to play with. Start running, pet."

Lucius' laughter echoed back to her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When she knocked on Snape's office door, the wood sounded hollow and loud in her ears. Her heart was still hammering from the earlier encounter with Lucius. The way the door flew open didn't calm her at all.

"I didn't think you'd come," Snape said. Hermione raised her chin, looking straight up into his white face.

"Why? You think I'm afraid of you?"

He chuckled darkly as she hurried into the room. Hermione already had her wand fisted when he closed the door.

"Your wand won't be necessary," he dismissed.

"Your Bloodlust says otherwise."

"Please sit, Miss Granger," he said and tapped the chair across from his desk. She sat and rested her wand across her thighs while he took his own chair. They sat in silence until Hermione spoke, because it seemed all Snape wanted to do was stare.

"What's the information you have for me?" she said. He blinked and came out of whatever thoughts that were making his eyes darken.

"I thought you should know what I'm capable of," he said. His fingers stroked the feathered quill in his hand. "Our strengths-"

"I know your strengths."

His black eyes narrowed at her and Snape's lips pursed together. He suddenly seemed out of his element, and Hermione felt she had the power for once. She felt more comfortable with the power against him. She wanted more of it.

"Indeed?" he said.

"And I know your weaknesses," Hermione smiled. Snape dropped the quill and laced his fingers together.

"Stand up," he growled.

"Why?"

"I'm going to show you just how ignorant you are. Stand. Up."

His eyes seemed to dig in her and pull her to his will. She couldn't look away. They were so shuttered that Hermione wanted to grab Snape's face and solve his eyes' mysteries. She wanted to go to him so she could figure out his thoughts.

Her feet found the floor. Snape turned his chair to the side and motioned for her to stand beside him. She took several seconds to notice - her gaze couldn't tear away from Snape's. She imagined he was thinking of dirty, naughty things. Was he thinking of her doing naughty things?

She was still pondering his sexual fantasies when she stood in front of his knees.

"I thought you didn't trust me, Miss Granger?"

"Ye- No. I don't know. What?" His eyes flickered down her body. Hermione shivered excitedly, thinking his wandering eyes meant he _was_ fantasizing about her. Snape smirked.

"Do you know that some vampires have specialties?"

"Yes," she breathed. Snape had reached so his fingers almost grazed her hand. She didn't look down - she could feel where his fingers were moving. They moved to hover above her elbow and paused there.

"Would you like to know my specialty?"

"Yes, sir."

His hand moved past her shoulder and then lingered above her right breast. She could feel his hand there, waiting and wanting to touch but not able to. It made her skin tingle and warm.

"Sex."

"Pa… Pardon?" she said. His fingers hovered above her bellybutton and then slowly drifted downward.

"Sex, Miss Granger. Slicking the sheets. Licking skin, sweat, and blood all at once. Sex. Don't you know it?"

His fingers reached her jeans. He left them there, looking up into her eyes and watching the effect. Hermione could feel the heat from his palm as if it were actually cupping her quim.

"Take off the necklace and kiss me," he said, his voice low and gravelly. Hermione's hands twitched toward the necklace. He _wanted_ her to kiss him! Meaning he wanted her. He'd have her. She could join him in his bed. Would he have black or green sheets? Would they be silk? Did he _have_ a bed?

She unhooked the necklace with a feeble attempt and it drooped loosely in her hand, the little crystal ball swinging from the middle.

She and Snape stared at each other. His fangs elongated.

"Drop it on the desk," he said. He watched her hand moving slow across his sight to the desk. His black pupils contracted and then-

"No!" Snape roared and jumped back, out of his chair and several feet away before Hermione could even blink. Hermione swayed and clenched her fingers around the necklace.

"What… What did you do to me?" she panted. Her head and mouth felt stuffed with cotton.

"Put it back on," he said, pushing his long fingers through his hair. Hermione reattached the protection around her neck. "You see?" he growled. "You see what I'm capable of? It doesn't matter what you think you _know_, Miss Granger."

"But you don't want to hurt me. You told me to put it back on-"

"I almost didn't," he said. Snape rubbed his face in his hands. "Get out."

"No, I want to know what you did to me!" she protested. Hermione scurried around the desk at him, shaking her finger under his nose. "I can't even resist your… your fucking vampire enchanting! We need to talk about what's going to happen, Snape!"

"I'll tell you the cold, dead truth, witch," he hissed and his face twisted into an ugly temper. "I'm going to kill you. My mind can't rest while your blood is still warm, and I can't resist it."

Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at Snape's throat. He hardly seemed to notice.

"What did you think, Granger?" he leered. "Did you think that vampires must fuck wonderfully? You're so _transparent_."

Her knees wobbled a little while she watched his lips formed around the word "fuck." She'd never heard her professor curse before.

"You won't have me easy," she said levelly, despite her uneasy stomach. She pressed her wandtip to his throat. His pale lips curved upward.

"Do you also think it will be painless? Two small punctures and it's all over? I have sorry news, lovely," he grinned nastily. "I don't kiss nice."

Hermione felt herself pale - she felt the blood drain from her cheeks as if it was all flooding out her feet onto the floor.

"Leave me alone, you dead shit," she snarled. She barely caught his raised eyebrows and pleased expression before she sprinted out of the room.

Once back in her rooms, Hermione warded her door as best she could. She threw herself in front of her desk with a piece of parchment, a large inkwell, and several Dark Arts books. She stayed up until four in the morning because Snape planned on killing her. He actually couldn't resist it - he was starting to falter. Before he'd been somewhat polite about the situation, and now he was beginning to cross the line.

No one could help her but herself, and Snape was inevitably going to kill her.

So there was no way around it, she reasoned.

Hermione was going to kill him first.

* * *

Ooh get 'em, Hermione! So it's a "dog-eat-dog world." I wonder how her new plan will turn out...

Come back for more and review please! :)

Soline


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclmaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Miss Granger, your potion is offensive."

Hermione didn't look up at him - she was afraid he'd see straight into her thoughts.

Every student in the class looked up to watch them.

"Yes, sir. I'm fixing it," she said, but her hands were shaking and she was sure he could see it.

"It's past fixing," he spat. The potion disappeared as Snape flicked his wand. "See me after class to determine whether or not I expel you from Potions."

Hermione couldn't even get distraught over her class standing. She only sat back in her chair and stared at the floor.

Her plan to kill Snape was extremely clean and clear. It was perfect. She double checked it for loopholes and then checked it again. Even with his supernatural abilities, it was doable.

And yet, Hermione wasn't sure if she could kill someone. She repeatedly reminded herself that Snape was going to kill her anyway, with much less hesitation than she had at the moment, but it didn't make her gut any less twisted.

"I must've frightened you badly last night," Snape said. Hermione looked up to find the classroom empty except for the two of them. He stood before her desk, his hands clasped behind his back. She looked away.

"You did," she said quietly.

"I apologize," he said. "I had a visitor yesterday. He… goaded me a bit. Frustrated me. I'm afraid I took it out on you."

Hermione gave a half-hearted shrug. She felt incredibly guilty to be planning this apologizing man's death. She shook the thought away and strove for something to say.

"Was it Lucius?"

"What?" he said. His tone fell sharper this time. "How did you know?"

"He… We talked. He's one of you."

She could feel Snape's burning, curious stare on her.

"Miss Granger, come to dinner with me." She started to protest, but he said, "In public. No tricks. We need to talk civilly."

Hermione couldn't stand it. She was supposed to be killing this man! He was supposed to be cruel and bloodthirsty like the night before! She couldn't kill him like this. The facts hadn't changed!

"No," Hermione said and pushed her things into her knapsack. He frowned. His black hair curtained his blacker eyes as he studied her.

"We could buy you more time if we work together during this-"

"No!" she repeated tearfully. _Why_ was he making her decision so damn difficult? Hermione heard Snape sigh as she rushed out of the room, but he didn't follow her.

What she needed was someone to talk to. Could she go to Dumbledore with this? He may remove Snape from his teaching position, but then again, Snape was Dumbledore's spy - his right hand man. Dumbledore wouldn't toss Snape aside so easily. The old man was blind-sided and would find an excuse to keep Snape nearby. Dumbledore made mistakes very often…

She, without question, couldn't tell Harry or Ron. They'd go ballistic, they'd set the whole dungeon on fire, they'd raise alarms all across Britain!

Hermione plopped down on a hidden stair behind a tapestry and tossed her bag aside. She rubbed her temples hard and wished her father was still around. Even if he didn't know anything about the magical world, Hermione's father always knew what to do.

She swiped at her eyes.

"Do you need help, Hermione?"

Luna scooted down a few stairs to sit beside her. Her whitish hair glowed in the dim light.

"Oh, I didn't see you… Is your hair glowing?" Hermione said.

"Can you see it?" Luna squealed. "Daddy sent me fairy dust. You can always tell real fairy dust by the way it makes your hair glow in the dark. Ooh, is it turning colors?"

"Yes, it's green now," Hermione laughed. Honestly, the girl was timeless.

"I can't wait to tell Daddy. I'll have to go outside tonight and see if the fairies come to me. But… you won't tell, will you?" Luna's eyes darted to her Head Girl badge.

"No, I don't care. Just don't let Filch catch you."

"Thanks, Hermione. You're a good friend. Were you crying just now?"

Hermione shared honest gazes with Luna, who looked seriously concerned for her well-being.

And there it was.

Luna wouldn't judge her. She wouldn't go insane with worry or shadow her every movement from then on.

"I'm in trouble, Luna," Hermione whispered. Luna scooted closer to whisper back.

"I'll help you."

Hermione and Luna squashed together on the step as she confessed what had happened with Snape, what he was, and why he wouldn't stop until he killed her. Luna clutched her hand and looked paler than usual.

"What can you do to stop him?" Luna said.

"I… well… that's the hard part. There's nothing that can be done. Nothing except…"

"You have to kill Professor Snape," Luna said with a distant finality. Hermione wasn't very surprised that Luna caught on so quickly. Luna was just as outrageous as the idea was, after all.

"That's what I was thinking," Hermione said quietly. "But I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I'm strong enough. I don't know if he deserves it-"

"I think," Luna said, "that he's already dead. A vampire, you know? Undead. You're just… shepherding him along."

Hermione cocked her head as she thought on it. It was true - he was already dead.

"But he still talks and has emotions," Hermione said.

"You're a very brave girl, Hermione," Luna smiled. "But you're usually brave for someone else. For Harry mostly. Maybe you've got to be brave for yourself this time. You've got to save yourself."

Hermione nodded and scuffed her feet on the stone stairs.

"I can help you," Luna said, but Hermione shook her head.

"No, this is my fight. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt," she said. Hermione stood and tossed her bag back over her shoulder. "But you're right. I'm going to do it… so I can live. Thanks, Luna."

Luna shrugged, smiled, and lifted a lock of pink hair in front of her eyes. Hermione walked to her classes with new force in her step. Instead of listening to McGonagall talk about Summoning Charms, she reviewed her plan again. She'd have to go directly back to her room after dinner and remove the sheet from her giant windows.

"Mione! Aren't you coming to lunch?" Hermione whirled around so quick that her knapsack knocked into her back. Harry and Ron came toward her, both looking concerned.

"Um, no, I'm not feeling well," she said.

"You've been quiet ever since we got back to Hogwarts," Harry said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm-"

"I know what's wrong," Ron said.

"You do?" Hermione panicked for a moment, and then realized he had no evidence to connect Snape to her troubles. They'd been very secretive about their unorthodox relationship, and Ron did not have the quickest mind.

"You're lovesick," Ron said.

Hermione stared at him as a red flush crept up her cheeks.

"I'm what?" _Lovesick?_ Hermione Granger hardly knew the meaning! Of all the dimwitted, self-important things he could say.

"She's _what_?" Harry echoed, looking at his ginger-haired friend like he had a bad case of the crazies. Ron cleared his throat.

"Well, you know, we've danced around each other for all these years. I figured maybe she's getting antsy… right, Hermione?"

"Oh. I don't know…"

"No, no. I know you pretty well. Hermione, girls get this way. I think maybe we should date. Get the pressure off, yeah?"

"Yeah?"

Ron was looking everywhere but at Hermione. His eyes fell to an ant crawling on the floor and watched its painstaking progress. Harry's gaze swiveled between them, his mouth slightly agape.

"I just want you to feel better, Hermione," Ron said quietly. Her heart softened. He was just being a loyal friend, in his own strange way. Besides, couldn't Hermione use some extra company and protection while Snape was still around? He wouldn't dare attack her while there was a witness, would he?

"Okay, Ron," Hermione said. He nodded and made a very nervous face.

"Well, um…" His hand twitched as if to grasp hers, but then it fell limp again. Ron scuffled his feet. Harry said, "Huh?"

"But I'm going back to my room. I really don't feel well," she said. It was true - her stomach was quite queasy now.

"Alright… see you," Ron said and walked back toward the Great Hall. Hermione shrugged at Harry, and he scampered after Ron.

She returned to her room and tugged the sheet off her windows. Staring out over the hills, Hermione shook her head slowly. What had just happened? Was she dating _Ronald_ now? She'd had a small crush on him now and then, but she'd gotten over him by now.

But then, she needed any extra protection she could get.

Until she disposed of Snape, of course. Which, if tonight went right, would be very shortly. If it failed to happen, she would need Ron.

Hermione shuddered, thought briefly about crying, and then fell asleep on the bed instead. When she woke, it was dark out and Hermione had a strange itching between her shoulder blades, like someone was watching her sleep. She resisted the urge to roll over and stare out the window. She had to be nonchalant - it was part of the plan.

She hadn't even removed her sneakers before falling into bed, so all she had to do was get up, act like she was primping, and walk out. She could still feel someone watching her and knew it was Snape outside, his black eyes focused intently. Like he would when he watched her during the summer.

The hallways were empty and she guessed it to be very early morning according to the crisp air.

Wiping her palms on her jeans, Hermione turned into the Room of Requirement and thought hard on what she needed. The room was deep scarlet and largely empty except for the black bed in the middle. A towering wardrobe stood in a shadowed corner. Hermione inspected it quickly, only glancing it over before beginning to undress. Snape was very quick and he'd find her soon. She needed to play her part.

Hermione dropped the necklace atop her clothes and scrambled into the bed. She covered herself with the sheets, hid her wand in the folds, and shivered.

She needed to remain focused or she'd never live though this. She needed to follow the plan. She needed Snape to walk in and fall for what now seemed a weak trick-

The door creaked open and shut again. As expected, Snape's eyes gleamed at her, but instead she said, "You're late, Ron. You know I hate coming to an empty room."

She squinted, as if not able to see him clearly.

"Come on," she grinned slyly and sat up. The sheet fell to her waist and it took all of Hermione's concentration not to blush. "What are you waiting for?" She reached out a hand.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," Snape said. Her hand shook and fell.

"Ron?"

Snape stepped into the light and smirked. His black eyes were covered with a sheen of light as he studied her. Hermione gasped and clutched the sheet to her chest again.

"Stay away, Snape," she said. He walked slowly closer anyway so Hermione hurried to jump to her feet, keeping the sheet wrapped around herself and her wand.

"Did you think I could not get you here, girl?" he said and smiled so she could see his glimmering whites. She imagined them stained with red.

"Control yourself," she said firmly. She backed toward the wardrobe, which she'd left standing open.

"I'm beyond control," he said. Snape stepped close enough to give her sheet a small tug. She held on tightly.

"Ron's on his way," she stammered. He shrugged and looked over his shoulder at the door, locking it with his wand.

She lunged, opening the sheet to distract him but still keeping her wand hidden, and knocked the wand out of his grip. His wand flew onto the bed, but Snape only laughed.

It was going well. Everything was going as she'd expected. The Room of Requirement had provided the props, and she had the plan. She was going to survive this.

Snape grabbed around her waist, his chilled hands gliding against her bare skin. He jerked a little.

"Where's your protection? Where's the necklace?" he said harshly. His grip tightened around her.

"I t-took it off for Ron," she said.

"Stupid girl," he breathed and pulled her naked body against him. His touch was like feathers, light and intriguing and she wanted more. It left her head dizzy when he pressed his fingertips into her skin. "Do you know what you've done?"

For a moment, Hermione could only admire the sharp line of Snape's jaw, and how it led into a sheet of onyx hair. His skin was so white - she wanted to lick his throat and see what he tasted like.

"Miss Granger," he purred. His fingertips pressed harder into the small of her back. She only barely remembered what she'd come to do.

"I don't want to die," she said weakly.

"It's not so bad," Snape said. He pulled her off the floor, breathed in the scent of her neck, and groaned. One of his hands wandered down to her backside. "I do regret this, Miss Granger. Do you understand that?"

"Huh?" she said. Hermione had underestimated the power of Snape's seduction. She could feel nothing but his attentions.

But she had to get her feet on the floor again.

"This situation, my Bloodlust - I wish it'd never happened. I wish I didn't have to hurt a fragile, brilliant mind like you. Just a young thing. But so…" His tongue swiped her neck briefly. She shivered when he moaned.

"What do I taste like?" she asked. Her head dropped into his neck - anything to keep him from seeing in her eyes. She was trying to think fast. How could she get out of his grip?

"You taste like the smell of sweet vanilla cigars."

She wiggled in his grip, drawing his attention from her neck to her body quickly, and she nosed his hair away from his neck.

"You can taste me over the skin?"

"There's a trace of the… taste…" He faltered because Hermione dragged her lips across the pale skin of his throat and licked him in one quick second. His silence was questioning.

"I was curious," she said.

"Curious…" Snape mused beside her ear. "What do I taste like?"

"Smoke and copper."

"I'm sorry," Snape snickered.

"No. I like it."

"Indeed…" He paused, seeming to think over a decision. Hermione hoped he was considering what she thought he was. She licked his throat again lightly to push his choice and wiggled against him.

He set her on the floor again - Hermione nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She could concentrate better when they weren't touching. She could feel other things now, like the wand hidden in her hand and the warm air of the room.

Snape was undressing. That was okay. Anything to keep him stalled until she had him into position. But how could she get him where she wanted him?

"What are you doing?" she shrilled. He tugged his shirt over his head gracefully.

"I'm going to make this easy on you, Miss Granger. You've been nothing but a good sport about my Bloodlust. The least I can do is provide you some pleasure before you… go."

"This isn't a _business transaction_," she growled. Hermione told herself to look into acting - she'd be brilliant.

"You _will _enjoy it, love. Trust me," he smiled. His eyes kept darting to her neck, where they would linger and darken. "And if you keep refusing, I'll no longer be distracted enough to refrain from ripping your neck to shreds."

Hermione clapped her hand over her neck. She stared at Snape's lightly muscled torso, which was thick with scars. He started on his belt buckle.

"No! I don't want to," she said. He stared at her disbelievingly. "Having sex with the man who's going to kill me. It's despicable. Not right. You're not right!"

"Are you sure?" he growled. "Your body's reactions don't lie. Do you know how keen my sense of smell is, Granger?"

She reddened.

"Can you feel how _moist_ you are?"

"Just get it over with, Snape," she said. The tears were thick in her eyes. He stepped toward her, then hesitated.

"You're being stupid, Granger. I could make it easier. Less painful. I want nothing more than to make it easier for you."

"Then go away and suffer with the craving," she said.

"Ah. I'm far too self-absorbed for that. And you're far too luscious… Last chance. I offer you the easy exit, with so much pleasure that you'll hardly notice the pain. Or stick with your prejudices and morals, and you can suffer," he growled.

She would have to move very quickly - Snape was already braced to spring at her. She fingered her wand and stiffened her legs. Hermione backed up against the open wardrobe.

"Do it," she said.

He lunged at her, and Hermione just barely managed to throw herself out of the way. Snape tripped right past her into the wardrobe, and Hermione locked the doors shut and reinforced them before he could turn around again. She could hear Snape yelling threats and curses inside and beating on the doors.

She wouldn't hesitate. She couldn't turn back now.

Hermione dropped the sheet to hold her wand in the air. The silk blackness pooled around her feet as she thought hard on the spell and jabbed her wand with a violent finality.

The cupboard erupted into flames, with the vampire yelling inside it and beating so hard that it shook. He sounded enraged, but the screams quickly turned to pained, that then silenced.

Hermione dressed as she watched, wanting to be sure of its annihilation. When it finished burning, down to the very last piece of wood, Hermione gathered all the ashes and walked outside into the dim morning light.

She didn't yet think about what she'd done. The ashes still needed to be spread. Hermione trudged toward the gates and spent the next hour Apparating from place to place, dropping Snape's ashes into the dirt in four portions.

When she returned, students were beginning to trickle down the stairs into the Great Hall for breakfast. They looked so unburdened, Hermione thought. She, on the other hand, was sick - ready to vomit at any moment.

"Hermione?" Luna called. She was sitting near Hermione's door, seeming to be waiting for her. Luna looked pale and purple under the eyes, like she'd been up all night. Hermione's chest heaved out a sob as she fell down beside Luna and let the other girl stroke her hair.

* * *

Hullo! So I'm done with wedding and honeymoon and settling in, and I can come back to writing for you!

Let me know what you think about this chapter. :) More to come soon - watch for it.

Love,

Soline


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**Chapter Four**

Ron's hand was very clammy around Hermione's. She grimaced and pulled away, wiping her palm on her pants.

"Sorry. Sweaty," Hermione muttered. He only looked at her nervously again and continued walking toward her next class. In fact, the only way Ron ever looked was nervous. One would think he'd never had a girlfriend before, and Hermione knew for sure that he'd had several. And she knew even better that Ron had been thoroughly educated… by all of them.

Ron stopped next to the Potions door and, for a moment, Hermione thought he may kiss her. He'd moved like so before but as always… he pulled to the side and kissed her on the cheek.

"See you, Hermione," he smiled.

"Bye."

He seemed confused that she wasn't happy, like she was supposed to become once she and Ron were together. But Hermione couldn't be happy. She could only cry when no one looked and stare out the window at nighttime, feeling miserable and strangely alone.

It had been three days since she killed Snape and spread his ashes. Three long days of Snape's sudden absence from Hogwarts. Dumbledore was baffled by it, she could tell. He'd interrupted Potions class several times now to look into Snape's desk.

But no one knew where Severus Snape had disappeared to. No one except Hermione and Luna. The thought of Luna made Hermione smile. The strange girl had been unfailingly supportive. She spent the first night in Hermione's bed, brushing her wild hair while she cried and singing songs about humph-lumps that got too fat off donuts to fly.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" McGonagall said. She'd temporarily taken over the position of Potions, until they could find a replacement. Students were doing much better under her tutelage.

"Just fine, Professor."

"Don't sacrifice your health for your grades," McGonagall scolded. "You're as white as a vampire. Go and let Poppy see to you."

Hermione gulped at McGonagall's retreating back. The word vampire sent icy shivers down her spine, but she numbly walked back out into the hallway. How many people, she wondered, knew about Snape being a vampire? Surely Dumebledore knew?

And then, as they seemed to so often lately, Snape's pained screams were echoing in her ears. Hermione whimpered and sagged against the dungeon wall.

"Hermione, what's the matter?"

She jerked upright at the voice. When did Lucius walk down here? She would have heard him coming, and yet now he stood directly before her. His white-blonde hair and silver eyes gleamed at her.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione sniffed.

"No, pet, I have a better question," he said and leaned close. "Why, when Severus had been trying to kill you, do you now cry over his disappearance?"

"I'm not crying over him," she snapped. Lucius scoffed and blocked Hermione's path with his cane when she tried to leave.

"Is it because you were involved?" he said silkily. Hermione looked into his face and suddenly wondered if he was the most beautiful vampire in the world. Lucius was truly stunning, with unmarked skin and strong cheekbones. His eyes were intense, like the color of the sky before a violent, unforgiving storm.

"I haven't done anything," Hermione said. She drew her wand and pushed the tip against Lucius' chest. "And if I had, aren't I justified? He was going to kill me."

"Do you know what I can do?" he breathed, ignoring her wand completely. Hermione shook her head. "I can see… what people have done. What you have done. And I had originally come down to look for traces of Severus' disappearance, because I'm actually quite fond of him. He's my other pet, you see. The better kind."

"You can't possibly…" Hermione's stomach seemed to shrink up real small and any food left in it threatened to reappear. Some vampires did have special abilities - surely one as magnificent as Lucius would have an ability also.

Magnificent seemed a fitting word for the vampire before her. The way he enveloped himself around Hermione without actually touching her, pushing his fists against the wall behind her, made her cheeks inflame. His hair smelled nothing like a dead man's should, but just a small scent set Hermione's knees shaking. His eyes would not release her - she felt his gaze was intimate. Like he saw her standing naked against a cold dungeon wall, and she was embarrassed that she didn't shave that day.

"You killed Severus," Lucius hissed suddenly. She jerked at the violent noise, scared and confused. His fist closed around Hermione's throat, but he quickly released her again. Hermione had decided to keep the necklace and wear it even after Snape had gone. It made her feel safe.

"You can't prove it!"

Lucius caught her gaze, and Hermione felt herself floating once more. Lucius was just so damned gorgeous. He grinned so Hermione could see his glimmering whites.

"Pet," he said as if scolding a child. "You missed something."

And then he was gone and Hermione was pointing her wand at air. She fell to her knees, barely feeling the sharp pain in her bones, and shook until she sweated.

_Pet, you missed something._

What did she miss? Why did Lucius look so happy? He must know something she didn't.

What did she miss? Was… Snape alive?

Hermione turned to the side and vomited all over the stone floor. Then she staggered to her feet and made her way back to her rooms, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve.

The very thought of Snape - alive! - made her sick to her stomach. If he was alive, he would return for Hermione shortly… enraged and determined… to kill her this time.

She didn't have another chance to survive.

Hermione slowly pinned up the sheet over her window again. She was now ridden with fear and sickness, which she could still taste in her mouth. Even after brushing her teeth, the stale vomit taste didn't leave.

Of course, there was still a chance that Snape really had died. But what else could Lucius have been so happy about? One moment, he looked ready to tear her limbs off, and then he was all smiles. Something he saw in her head had brightened his day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She almost asked Ron to stay in her bed that night. Purely for her own safety, of course. Hermione harbored no lustful feelings toward Ron. He was cute, yes, but he was Ronald. If she invited him to her rooms, he'd be expecting relations.

It didn't help that Hermione was sent to do rounds that night as her Head Girl duty. She walked out of her rooms, wand already raised, and knocked straight into Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it, Mudblood," he muttered.

"Stop ferreting around then."

"Oh, ha."

Hermione grinned despite herself. Even Malfoy seemed more welcome tonight. They walked toward the west wing.

"We don't need to do rounds together, you know," he said, sending her suspicious glares.

"I do," she said. "I thought maybe we could get along a bit better. I'm not so bad."

"Once you get over the buck-toothed, know-it-all, bushy-haired, filthy-blooded side of you?"

"Indeed," Hermione laughed. She felt so much better, and safer, to be walking with someone. "But I'm not buck-toothed anymore." She flashed him a smile when Malfoy glanced over to confirm it.

"So you're a bit less ugly then, yeah?" he said.

That hurt. Just a little. Hermione didn't have the highest confidence in her looks. She fell quiet and instantly regretted it. She didn't want Malfoy to leave her.

But then - she was a witch! Didn't she have a wand to protect herself? She didn't need some snaky, sunless brat to guard her. She could use magic better than him anyway-

"You're not… not _gorgeous_," he continued.

"Oh." Ow.

"I mean," Malfoy snapped and then grew steadily quieter, "you aren't ugly. Don't snivel."

"I'm _not_ sniveling!" she said. "Especially not because of some spoiled daddy's boy." But she felt better. Malfoy smirked at her. They were down in front of the Great Hall now. A noise echoed up the dungeon stairs and both Head's turned toward it.

Malfoy insisted on investigating, mostly to escape Hermione, but she begrudgingly followed him downward.

"The Potions door is swinging." ."

"Oh, fuck," Hermione swore. Her face felt cold.

"What a dirty tongue, Granger," Malfoy grinned suggestively. Hermione barely heard him. "What's it to you?"

"Is he back?"

"Who? Snape? You know where he went?"

"Please walk me upstairs, Malfoy."

"Oh, no, definitely not. You're a big Mudblood, walk yourself."

"Malfoy, _please_," she begged. She didn't care about dignity right now. "We're practically done nowanyway."

"Piss off," Malfoy said after pulling his gaze away from her frightened eyes.

She touched his elbow, and he only jerked a little.

"Draco," she said carefully. "I'm in danger, and I'm scared. I can't fight him alone."

She could feel tears burning her eyes and knew she may be overreacting, but Snape might be right in the next room.

Malfoy turned abruptly on his heel. Hermione had to run to keep up and soon they were on their own floor again. They stopped awkwardly at her door.

"I know what my father is," Malfoy said. Hermione figured as much - it wasn't an easy secret to keep when you lived with a vampire. "I saw him earlier today, and he wasn't happy with you, Mudblood. What did you do?"

Hermione gulped.

"Did you do something to Snape?" Malfoy seemed excited at the prospect and smiled.

"I thought you liked him," Hermione said weakly. Malfoy nearly spat on the floor, but he would say nothing more. "Then you know. You know what he was."

"Was?"

"I need to go to bed," Hermione rushed. Had she given too much away? Malfoy suddenly looked much too knowledgeable, but in his eyes was something else.

"I would like nothing more than Snape to be dead for good."

Hermione was halfway in her door when she turned around. Draco looked desperate for some sort of response.

"Me too," she said. The Gryffindor and Slytherin shared equally pained gazes.

"Mudblood," he interrupted again as she began to close the door. "Only for my hatred of Snape, and only that, I will watch for him. I will watch you. For him. For his neck."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She woke feeling better and fresher than she predicted. She even felt a little pretty. Probably - reluctantly - due to Malfoy's admittance of her not quite ugly looks. She could settle to be average.

She shaved her legs and tamed her hair. She wore her skirt a half-an-inch shorter than usual, which wasn't much but it made her feel slightly more confident.

"Hello, Ron!" she smiled.

"Oh, hi," he returned. It was the first time she'd seen his smile in a while. He seemed to be waiting for her to go first.

She locked her fingers through her best friend's and pulled him downstairs.

"I'm feeling quite well today, Professor," Hermione told McGonagall, who bestowed the smile she saved for Hermione's smarts.

Hermione didn't feel sick as she ate for the first time in days. The thought of Snape around still terrified her, but Hermione was beginning to gather a guard and it made her feel better. Luna waved from the Ravenclaw table and Malfoy glanced upward from the other side.

If she had accomplices, she may be able to beat him. That is, if Snape had returned. There wasn't yet any proof. She clung to that small comfort - that no one had actually seen Snape and neither had she. Maybe she was just being paranoid. In fact, she probably was completely paranoid.

Malfoy even sat at the desk behind her in Charms class, and he usually complained of her blood's stench and sat far away. She nodded shortly to him, but he only looked at her. So he hadn't quite warmed up to her yet.

Ron was making her late to Potions - even McGonagall tsked at her as she hurried down to the dungeons.

"I've got to talk to you later-" he was saying.

"Yes, yes, I've really got to go! Sorry!" And she fled into the dungeons, nearly knocking Luna over in her hurry.

"Hermione, you-!"

"No, I'll see you later! I'm late!"

"You can't go, wait a mome-"

"I'm very late!"

She burst into the Potions room.

Severus Snape's ebony eyes burned into her from where he stood behind his desk. McGonagall was explaining the lessons she taught to him, but he paid her no mind. He only saw Hermione.

Hermione stopped breathing. His face was so motionless and cold that he looked more frightening than ever before. His chest didn't rise and fall. His skin looked pinker than before, like many large scars covered his neck and face. His hair was clean, his clothes were new, and his eyes darkened with revenge.

His velvet lips parted. Hermione saw the faintest glimmer of unstained, hungry fangs.

"A pleasure you've arrived, Miss Granger."

She couldn't lift her feet off the floor. She couldn't move any closer to him. He would eat her alive.

He came to her, walking purposefully slow, and moved close to shut the door behind her. She heard him inhale deeply

"Severus, you aren't listening," McGonagall snapped and pointed to the lesson plans. "Miss Granger, please sit."

Hermione moved away and fumbled her way into her seat. Once McGonagall was safely out of the room, Snape said, "One hundred points taken, Miss Granger, and detention."

"W-When?"

"Directly after class, I think."

"All right," she whispered.

* * *

And to quote Fudge: ..._He's back!_

Review please! :)

Soline


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**Chapter Five**

At least she was wearing the necklace. He couldn't touch her. But then… he'd already seduced it off her once. Hermione grasped the little crystal beneath her shirt and held tightly.

The class did not end quickly. Her potion turned into a dreadful mess because of her shaking hands. Instead of five stirs, she did eleven. Instead of one ounce of brandy, she added three cups of water. The cauldron melted so quickly that Hermione leapt atop her chair lest her feet were scalded.

Snape only cleaned up the mess wordlessly and offered his hand to help her down. Everyone had looked away, afraid of his temper, and his offer went unnoticed. His hands were covered in black leather gloves - they looked like dragon hide. Hermione, numb with fear, slid her naked fingers into his smooth glove. He helped her to the floor, unaffected by the necklace's repellant, but she nearly cried out - her knuckles cracked under his strength.

He walked away like nothing happened.

Snape insistently stood behind her while lecturing, probably to watch her squirm, and she did. He answered others' questions as usual and offered short explanations, and then his attentions slid back to Hermione. She couldn't escape his gaze. It sometimes fell beneath her desk, where her knees were exposed by her skirt and lingered there. She squeezed her thighs together, remembering that Snape had seen her naked the night she nearly killed him. The remembrance set her cheeks flaming.

She was still remembering the way he grasped her bare body against him, the way his clothing felt against her breasts, when every chair in the room scraped the floor. The others were leaving, and she was being left alone with him. Left alone with her killer.

As soon as the last student exited, Hermione jumped to her feet. Snape whirled around, locking the door and pointing a shaking finger at her.

"Do you know," he seethed, "what you did to me?" He was no longer calm - he was abruptly boiling with anger. Hermione knocked her chair over to stumble back from his rage. His chest heaved now and recklessly.

"I know what I did," she said, trying to keep her wits about her. "I know what I _tried_ to do." Her face darkened with fear and with hatred of herself - how could she have failed her own survival? He snarled at her.

Snape ripped off his robes and shirt. She fell away again, shocked at the sight of him.

"Oh, no…" Hermione breathed.

"No, Granger? Isn't this what you _wanted_?"

His torso, and likely further down, was covered in angry burn scars. Some looked like they oozed and stuck to his shirt. She felt sick by looking at them.

"I didn't want you to suffer," she said. She truly didn't. She felt awful for hurting him so. "I didn't want to die either," she said weakly.

It seemed a legitimate reasoning, but Snape swore so angrily that Hermione cringed.

"Are they healing?" she ventured.

"Over time. Lucius only rescued me yesterday."

"How?" she demanded. He smirked nastily at her.

"You chose the wrong cabinet to burn someone in. If only I'd realized it earlier, I'd never been burned so badly. I should've realized it was the same cabinet that led to Borgin and Burke's."

Hermione gasped in realization.

"I'd have seen it if I weren't so obsessed with you," he said and prowled closer. "If I weren't so thirsty for your taste, your blood. I want to slit your throat and drink from you like it's on tap."

Hermione's face had gone white as snow several minutes before.

"But you had it neatly planned, didn't you, lovely?" he smiled uncharacteristically. His gloved hand lifted and touched her cold cheek. Hermione breathed in his sweet smell despite herself. "Here I am, the seducer and death of women, and one little Hermione Granger nearly does me in. My seducer and death. Almost."

He grinned - his fangs were long and eager.

"I've never had such a struggle with my food, you realize. I would enjoy our game if I weren't the only one suffering," he said. Hermione looked at his pink skin again.

"I didn't want you to suffer," she breathed. "I was fighting to live, don't you see? Professor, please. I'm... I'm sorry."

Hermione was wracked with emotions - she felt angry and pitying and desperate altogether. She wanted to heal the man before her and get rid of him at the same time. She wanted to fall on her knees and ask for forgiveness for torturing him. She didn't want to cry, but she did.

His face softened a bit.

"Come. Take off the necklace, Miss Granger. I'll end it for you. No one would ever know what you did to me."

She sniffed. Surely it couldn't be so easy to feel better? To make all these emotions and regrets disappear? Just go to the man before her.

"I want to live," she said.

"There's no way."

He was right.

"Come to me."

Just take two steps and she'd be in his arms. She took one.

"That necklace…"

She unhooked it. It clattered on the stone floor. Another step and she'd be there. Hermione was surprised that she had any tears left after the last few days. One more step and she'd cry no more. The terrible feeling in her gut would go away. Hermione hoped she didn't go to hell for trying to kill someone.

One more step.

Because he was right. There was no way to live through this, especially not now that she'd screwed up her only chance.

His gloved hands ran up her arms, and she shuddered under his touch. It made her regret not giving in the night she tried to kill him. Without the raw burns, the professor was nearly irresistible - decidedly better than Lucius. Snape was darker, more dangerous, and more mysterious.

She leaned toward him, and Snape's expression became relieved, like some pain was lifting off his chest as his fingers entangled in her hair.

"How badly I want revenge," he muttered. "How badly I want to hurt you…" Hermione sagged - she was hoping he wouldn't be too harsh. She barely noticed his pained eyes. "And yet, I won't. There's something about the way you taste. It makes you special."

"Snape!"

The vampire was thrown away from her and slammed into the classroom wall. Draco jerked Hermione back roughly by her elbow.

"Hurry up, Granger, stop tripping over your own feet!"

"Draco?"

"Mister Malfoy," Snape said calmly, rising to his feet with his wand drawn now.

"Hermione!" Luna rushed in behind Draco and threw her arm around Hermione's shoulders. Her wand was also drawn, pointed straight at Snape. Snape studied Hermione, who panted between Draco and Luna.

"You're far too much trouble," he said shortly.

"I know," Hermione replied. Her head was still spinning. She mostly still wanted to go to Snape and end it. Survival was exhausting.

"You don't stand a chance, Mister Malfoy. I suggest you take Miss Granger and leave."

"Come on," Luna urged. "Draco, come on!" The smaller girl tugged them all toward the door. They stumbled their way up several floors until Hermione was back in her rooms. Luna collapsed on the couch beside her, and Draco paced.

"My wand was drawn!" he said. "I could have killed him - I hated him so much then, I could have killed him! It would have been easy!"

"He would have won," Luna said to Draco, but she conjured a cup of strange tea for Hermione. "I tried to tell you earlier, Hermione. When you didn't come to lunch, I headed down to the Potions classroom. I assume Draco heard about Professor Snape's reappearance and saw me run down, and then he ran ahead of me." Draco nodded shortly.

"What's in this?" Hermione asked, tapping the mug Luna pushed at her.

"Mushrooms."

"What sort?"

"The sort Daddy always drinks."

"Oh."

"Don't give her drugs, Lovegood," Draco snapped.

"Drugged tea?" Hermione echoed.

"Daddy says it relieves stress!"

Draco turned away and muttered something about "Daddy's sanity". Under Luna's scrutinizing eye, Hermione decided to take a sip. It actually tasted marvelous.

"Hermione… I thought you killed him?" Luna interrupted the silence, and Draco turned round to listen.

"Me too," she said. "The cabinet was the connector to the other in Borgin and Burke's-"

"Fucking Snape!"

"Language, Draco," Luna tsked.

"Apologies. Fucking _Professor _Snape."

"Luna, may I have some more tea, please?"

"You drank it all?"

"Yes."

"Already?"

"My mug is dry."

"Oh my, you really shouldn't have drank so quickly."

"What's going to happen to her?" Draco said, still pacing. Hermione imagined she could see his footprints burning into the floorboards.

"Oh… she may get quite… strange, but I've got to go. The Ravenclaws are solving a huge arithmetic problem at lunch. It'll be quite fun, you know." Luna stood and balanced a large pair of glasses on her nose that she didn't usually wear.

"No, wait a minute!" Draco roared.

"Would you like to come? I have more spectacles."

"No, you twit, what about her?" Draco pointed at Hermione. Was that a top hat on his head?

"Oh, she's just happy. She needs it after what just happened. I'll see you later, Hermione."

"Bye."

"Lovegood!"

The door shut and Draco sighed.

"I like your hat," Hermione pointed. Draco plopped down beside her and glared.

"I told her not to give you drugs. Now you're going to go loopy like her. You're annoying enough.

"Oh, shut it," Hermione sighed. Whatever Luna had given her actually felt very nice. She wasn't panicking anymore. In fact, she may even be able to sleep at night if she had some more. Draco fell silent and they both slumped into the couch. Hermione's eyes flickered around the room at the different hallucinations she saw.

"What're you smiling at?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"The bunny in the corner."

"…What's it doing?"

"Picking flowers."

"Ah," Draco said. He paused and then, "I wouldn't mind some of that tea." Hermione giggled, and Draco managed a smile.

"He won't stop," she said.

"Bloodlust, then?"

"Yes," she admitted. "I have a problem."

"This is a sight more than a problem, Granger. You have a disaster."

"I meant," Hermione paused, "he seduces me. Easily. I can never stop it."

"Oh. That is a problem."

Hermione turned her face toward Draco, who looked extremely uncomfortable. "Draco, I'm going to die soon, aren't I?"

He seemed to force himself to look at her. She was still dazed and drifting, but scared.

"I'm sorry, Granger," he said. Hermione remembering sinking her face into the pillows and drifting into a nap, but Draco's weight didn't leave the couch for some time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Her old house was welcoming, but Hermione knew she couldn't stay. This was only a stop along the way, and lingering only endangered herself. She needed to grab the hidden stash of money in addition to withdrawing everything from the bank.

Harry and Ron would be heartbroken, but she'd spent a good deal of time with them that evening before heading out. They'd have something to remember her by - she'd acted cheery and typical, telling them to do their homework and then beginning it for them. Ron still seemed antsy, like he had something on his mind, but Hermione couldn't stop to calm him.

Only Luna knew where she was going - the girl was Hermione's wall. Luna had insisted on giving her extra money and maps to lands Hermione was sure didn't exist. Draco would likely figure out that she'd run. Hermione, however exhausted she was, was still trying to fight. And the only way she could fight now was to run. Maybe the craving would eventually kill him.

She no longer wore the necklace. She dropped it in Snape's classroom, and Luna dragged her away from it. She hadn't even remembered until Luna's tea wore off. No matter; it no longer helped. Hermione just wished she could have given it to Harry.

Hermione stuffed a messy wad of money into her back pocket, spared a glance toward her parents' old room, and then ran back outside into the deep night. Snape would soon know that she'd run. He'd probably look for her at Hogwarts in the night, and then follow her to her house. She needed another place - something undetectable.

She Apparated to a forest where she and her parents used to go camping. It was hardly found on any map. Hermione dug into her knapsack and found the small brown package that she threw onto the ground. It expanded into a small one-roomed tent, which she placed careful protection around.

The tent was ready. The wards were set. Hermione steeled her back and ducked inside, ready for a life on the run from Severus Snape.

* * *

Oof, so Hermione must hide now. She's beginning to walk on a wire. But, as usual, Snape won't stay away for long... ;)

Two in one day! Review, please! :)

Soline


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

_Dear Hermione,_

_Professor Snape caught me sneaking food out of the kitchens and now he's watching me. I'm afraid I won't be able to send much besides snacks now. I will try for more. He's always pacing, always angry. Everyday he grows paler - I'm sure he's the color of thick ice now. _

_Ron and Harry think you've gone on an emergency trip with your parents. I made up a story about your grandmother dying. They want you to write. I think Professor Snape coming up the owlery steps - be safe. _

_Love,_

_Luna_

Hermione tossed the letter in the fire and fumbled to unwrap the snacks. The chocolate frog nearly melted near the open stove before she shoved it into her mouth and slowed her chewing to enjoy the taste.

So Snape was weakening. Did that mean he was dying or simply sick? It may be weeks before Luna wrote again, if Snape was watching her. Hermione wasn't sure she could stand to be alone for another week. It'd been three already.

The forest was not good to Hermione. She only knew very little about rough camping, because her father usually made it very comfortable. They used to bring a camper, and now all she had was a one-roomed tent that didn't withstand strong storms. The first night it stormed, the tent blew completely sideways and Hermione went tumbling along with it. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

She crawled out the door flap and grimly welcomed the sunny day. She planned on fishing today, and the good weather could only help. Her stomach growled so she set off toward the creek.

And soon, extremely proud of herself, Hermione rolled two fish over a fire.

"I'm sorry, little fish, but I'm sure you'll be very delicious. I'm ravenous, you know," she rambled. Merlin, she could use some company.

A letter dropped in front of her. Hermione was sure to keep rotating the fish while opening it.

_He made me send it._

The first line was written in different handwriting, Luna's handwriting, than the rest of the letter.

_Miss Granger,_

_You are indeed a silly girl to have Miss Lovegood send you letters from Hogwarts. I will track you. I will find you. Can you outrun a vampire, lovely? _

And the letter ended with those words.

"Oh, bloody hell!" The fish caught fire, and Hermione didn't put them out in time. She didn't stop to grieve her loss of food. She'd have to move again. She'd go to another camping site. Hermione gathered all of her things in moments and Apparated away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_Miss Granger,_

_My letters reach you, I'm sure of it, and yet neither I or Lucius can track you. How are you hiding? You aren't making this easier on yourself. End your running and your terror - do you want this to continue your entire life? Just come to me._

Hermione dropped the letter in her new campfire and watched it curl up under the flames. It was true - she'd be running her entire life. She didn't want that either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a long time before Snape's next letter fell into Hermione's lap. She had been trying to pry nuts of of their casings by hammering them with a sharp rock when the black owl swooped overhead.

_Miss Granger,_

_I do realize the dire situation you're in, but you must understand my own. Let me explain it to you. In blunt words, I'm slowly rotting from the inside out. My bones are weak - it hurts to move. My skin is sore and paper-thin - it hurts to sit. My vision weakens - I cannot read. My fingernails break at the slightest touch - I cannot even brew. Every movement causes pain and every blink burns my eyes._

_I am not a dead creature, Miss Granger. Not yet. _

Snape's letter broke her heart. He sounded to be truly suffering, and she was the cause. But then, of course, was the question of her own life. What could she do? She didn't care for killing - not ever again. Even _thinking_ she had killed Snape last time had devastated her. She never wanted to feel so ashamed again.

She would feel the same if he died this way. That bloody man… He had told her everything on purpose, so she would feel bad and help him. Well. It worked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She hadn't showered properly in a month and a half - besides washing off in the creek- for weeks. And she was weak from collecting blood for Severus. She hadn't returned to help him right away, but instead stayed to bottle several pints of blood. She hoped it would be enough to sustain him until she spoke with him.

It was Christmas morning. Everyone had gone home and Hogwarts' grounds were barren as she walked from the gate to the dungeons. There was no noise save the soft bubbling of a potion. She found Snape in his classroom, staring down at a boiling cauldron. His face was wistful, desperate even. He almost looked as if he could cry.

"Professor."

"Granger." He looked up and squinted. "Hermione Granger?"

Hermione sighed. She was hoping he wouldn't be so bad, but apparently the Bloodlust had taken a hard toll on him.

"Yes - stay there or I'll leave again!" she yelled. He stopped in step toward her and waited. Hermione held out a glass bottle. "This is my blood. I have more. This will keep you until we can discuss options, I presume?"

His head cocked to the side. "All right, Miss Granger. We will discuss." She walked close enough to hand him the bottle. He took it slowly, although his hands were shaking. Hermione noticed the yellow-white tinge of his skin with a grimace. He turned away to gulp down the entire contents of her blood. She didn't watch - it made her sick to see her blood drunk.

When he turned again, he looked much like before and with a renewed light in his eyes.

"Did it work?" Hermione ventured.

"Stale blood isn't as good as fresh," he said. "But you are mouth-watering either way." His eyes darkened to a dead black hue. They glittered at her.

Hermione took a shaky breath. "Please sit."

Snape lowered himself against the table with the cauldron on it. His eyes flickered to the boiling potion and then back to her, as if not even potions could compare to the obsession before him.

"If you want me to remain here, may I suggest you give me another of your… bottles," he said. Hermione sighed, reached into her bag, and tossed him another. Her throw was off, but he was a quick enough vampire to catch it. He uncorked it and licked the rim and said, "Discuss."

"Option number one," she said. Hermione sat herself atop Snape's desk, putting a fair bit of distance between the two of them. He raised an eyebrow at her bum sitting on his half-graded papers. "Option number one falls in your favor. I die. You are satisfied."

"And my vote falls in option number one's favor," he said and swished her bottled blood in his mouth.

"I'm sure. Number two: you die," she smirked.

"Highly distasteful."

"Of course."

"Is there a third?"

"You survive off bottled blood. I will supply what I can. I believe you'll find the taste basically the same, and we can both live this way," she continued.

Snape dropped the empty bottle on the floor, and it shattered across the stone. Hermione had her wand pointed at him before it had even broke, but Snape didn't move. He only gripped the table he leaned on.

"_This_, Granger? You want me to survive off stale blood?"

"I could give it to you warm, if you like-"

"No!" He gripped the table so hard that it broke and the cauldron spilled all over the floor. Hermione pulled her feet up onto the desk quickly. "You don't know what this is like!" he roared. "What it's like to always need something, to want it so bad you'd murder a student - a young woman - for it and feel nothing! This isn't just an addiction, Granger, it's _much worse_!"

Hermione was standing on his desk now, crouched and ready for him to leap at her. Her wand was steady. She was armed with a handful of powerful spells she could perform wordlessly. She was prepared for exactly this - this vampire's temper.

"Snape," she said calmly. His shoulders heaved with anger. "Please."

"I've lost patience with you, Miss Granger," he hissed.

"Professor. I'm trying to help you." She reached into her knapsack and tossed him another bottle. She only had a few left now. He caught it and threw her blood down his throat with one swallow. His breathing slowed until he was only clenching his fists.

"Yes," he said. "You are."

He sat on a chair instead, his hands on his knees, leaning forward like he wanted nothing else than to lunge at Hermione. A sick man yearning for the antidote.

Hermione thought it safe to resume setting cross-legged on the desk - the floor was covered in whatever Snape had been brewing. They stared at each other for a few moments. Snape's nose crinkled.

"You smell quite bad," he said. "What have you been doing?" Hermione glared.

"Living off burnt fish and berries," she said, "and whatever Luna sent me, in the beginning. You cut off my food supply. Bastard."

He chuckled unfeelingly. "I thought it may make you come back."

"I learned to stop burning the fish."

His eyes studied her some more.

"You are nearly ill," he said. He looked concerned this time. Hermione wondered if he thought it would affect the taste of her blood. "Continue with your options."

"That… that was all," she said, raising her eyebrows. Were there supposed to be more?

"You've thought of nothing else?"

"If you've got another option, tell me," she snapped. He stood and crossed his arms over his chest, one hand rubbing the stubble on his chin. Hermione tensed her fingers around her wand.

"I've listened very reasonably to your options-"

"You nearly lost control!"

"Quiet!" he snapped. "Now I've got one for you."

He stopped and waited, as if watching to see if she'd accept to listen. Hermione wondered what he could possibly intend. He stepped closer, causing her to suddenly jump onto her knees.

"Don't come closer!" she said. "Stay away and talk."

"There's a way for us both to survive," he said quietly. Hermione leaned forward.

"What did you just say?"

"There is a way. You won't have to bottle blood for it. You will live, and so will I."

"You said before there was no way I could live!" she said angrily.

"I lied," he said, "and now I've reconsidered."

Was there truly a way? She smiled at the thought. Snape's expression relaxed while she did. How did she not think of such a way? Surely she thought of everything humanly and magically possible.

"Tell me," she breathed. His face tensed again.

"Do you not know?" She screwed up her face in thought, feeling like she was missing an obvious exam question and hating herself for it.

"No."

He walked closer, ignoring the threat of her wand. Hermione hardly knew she was aiming at him, and she didn't intend to curse him. She just wanted the answer to her problem.

"You are so naïve, Miss Granger," he murmured. He was close enough to reach up and touch her cheek. Hermione inhaled his scent and felt a dizziness sweep over her. "And you are such a fighter. For months you've avoided me, and I am one of Lucius' own creations. That is not a small title."

"Lucius'?" she echoed. Lucius made Snape a vampire? Hermione saw Snape's lips smile over his fangs and could barely process the information. He nodded slightly.

"I don't want to kill you," he continued. "Not just because you are a student, but because you nearly killed me, twice now. I admire that."

His black eyes swallowed her, and she wanted them to. She wanted nothing more than to get lost in their darkness. "What are you getting at?" Did her voice really sound so high?

Snape was lost in thought, picking out his words. Hermione's common sense had gone with his attentions. Curiosity grabbed hold of her and she set her wand beside her on the desk. His breathing ceased as her palms pressed on the front of his robes, feeling his body beneath. Her fingers slid upward to his neck, where she smoothed them over his pale skin and then entangled them in his hair.

He let her explore him. He didn't even flinch as her fingertips brushed over his cheekbones and then traced his mouth.

"Why are vampires so perfect?" she said, sounding very distant to herself. He chuckled.

"I don't know." If he could purr, she thought he would be. "Do you want the final option, Miss Granger?"

"Oh," she said in the midst of examining his hands and their crevices, "I forgot. Yes, I do." He finally drew a breath.

"We both live as vampires," he said.

It took a second for Hermione to realize what he said - she was immersed in the smoothness of his palms - but then she sat back with a thud on the desk again. Both live as vampires? Yes, he had just said that. Did he mean… of course he did. What else could he mean? He meant…

"You would turn me into a vampire?" she said.

"Yes," he said. "It would be the only way."

"No." Hermione started shaking.

"Granger-"

"No!" she said. "Are these my choices? Dead or deader?"

"I'm not dead!" he said. "I just have… different needs."

"I don't want to kill anyone!"

"And I don't want to kill you!" he said, grabbing hold of her arms. "Let me explain the benefits. The protection you would have - the nurture!"

"How could something so monstrous be nurtured?" she spat and struggled to move away. No good - he was too strong.

"Me," he said, his voice strong and gaze intense. "The bitten is always cared for by the one who bit them. It is a stronger bond than you know. It protects you, carries you, strengthens you. You would need no one else but me."

"I need my friends," she said vehemently, still trying to pry his grip off. "You have no care for me."

"If I did not," he snarled, "I would have torn the skin from your body by now to lap up every droplet of blood. I could still!"

"Do not threaten me with pain, Snape! This choice is enough!"

As if ashamed of himself, Snape released her arms and stepped away. Silence fell thick between them.

"I did not have a choice," he said quietly. Hermione, rubbing her arms, looked up curiously. "Lucius was angry and hungry and a young vampire. I was too close."

"I'm sorry."

"But he's been good to me," Snape continued. "Lucius watches my back. He saved me from the cabinet after you burnt me. He's been brewing me medicines for the Bloodlust, to slow the decay. I could not do it for myself after a time." Snape glowered at the spilled potion all over the floor.

"Answer me this then," she said. "If it requires so much of your dedication, why would you want to turn me? Why not just rid of me?"

"I told you before," he snapped, but then he grew quieter. "There's something about your blood, the way you taste and the way you smell. It makes you special to me."

"The Bloodlust will leave once-"

"No," he said. "It's not just the Bloodlust. It's you. I want to keep you."

"And what if I say no?"

"Then I may be selfish and turn you regardless," he said, his face darkening. "Or maybe I'll drink you dry."

Hermione couldn't think. She could hardly even breathe. And yet Snape stood before her like it was the most obvious and reasonable thing in the world.

"Let me think on it," she said. His eyebrows drew together.

"Yes," he breathed. "I'll let you think. But I can't stand near you any longer, Miss Granger, or you won't think for very long. When you are ready, you can find me at the Malfoy's. I'll let him know you're Flooing in."

"Wait." Hermione shoved the remaining bottles from the knapsack into his hands. "In case you feel sick again," she said.

"You are a strange girl," Snape muttered, and then he strode quickly from the room. Hermione remained sitting on his teacher's desk amongst his papers and inkwells, twisting the knapsack in her hands.

That had gone nothing like she'd expected.

* * *

*picks petals off a daisy* Become a vampire... Don't become a vampire... Become a vampire... Don't become a vampire...

Review please and thanks for reading!

Soline


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione had spent Christmas alone before. She decorated the tree alone, baked cookies alone, and opened presents alone. But this Christmas was different. The tree wasn't ready and the smell of sugary cookies didn't warm the house. The only presents were from Harry, the Weasleys, and Luna - Hermione had forgotten to send them any. She quickly called in a order to Honeydukes to deliver gift boxes of chocolate to them.

This Christmas loneliness was suffocating her. The hot cocoa didn't even lift her spirits. Her mind was stuck on only one decision.

Should she let Snape turn her into a vampire?

It was the only way she could live. Otherwise, Snape would drain her and kill her. She hated to surrender to him - hated the thought of simply asking for death.

She could, she supposed, let him die instead. She could return to the wilderness and wait it out, where no one could find her. And then she remembered the expression on his face, while he looked down at the cauldron and at the potion he didn't have the strength to brew. His lips were pulled back and his eyebrows pulled down tight. Snape's eyelids squeezed together and trembled. She couldn't rid of the image.

She couldn't let him die like that - slow and painful and pathetic. Severus Snape didn't deserve that sort of defeat.

And then, she didn't deserve it either.

So, really, there was only the one option.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She spent the day cleaning herself (she smelled of creek water before) and the house. She wanted to feel human and do human things. She made her favorite lunch and tea and washed the dishes without magic. She stared into the mirror for nearly an hour, wondering if she wanted to be stuck looking like how she was. Her hair was still a little too bushy. She hadn't worked out like she had promised herself to, and so her thighs didn't have the definition she wanted. Her nails looked wretched. Her eyebrows needed plucked (she did so quickly). And did hair grow after one became a vampire? Could it be cut off? She didn't know. Hermione set about thoroughly shaving her legs, armpits, and bikini line.

When evening came, she was scrubbed, exfoliated, and smooth. She managed her hair into slightly frizzy waves. What did one wear to the occasion of turning vampire? There should be a manual for this sort of thing. Hermione settled on form-fitting dress robes, since the Malfoy residence was bound to be elegant.

Was she still breathing? Hermione couldn't tell. She stepped up to the fireplace and found herself staring at the mantle. A picture of her mother and father smiled at her. She flipped the photo face down.

"I am sorry…" she said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't ask for it."

She fisted a handful of Floo powder out of the pouch on the mantle and tossed it into the fireplace. It flashed green. Hermione took one more look around where she spent her human childhood and stepped into the flames, saying, "The Malfoy residence."

She spun around dizzily, feeling her elbow knock against some other fireplace before pulling her arms in tightly. Her hesitance was throwing her off balance, but she ended up stumbling out into a pristine living space.

"Hermione," someone said warmly. Lucius caught her arm and straightened her. Hermione shook him off, and he raised his hands as if showing he had no weapons. "Come, pet. There's no need to fight me."

She took the opportunity to look around. White sofas and chairs, crystal coffee table, white carpeted floors, and a spot of black stepping into the room. She stiffened.

"Miss Granger," Snape said. He looked much better than he had that morning. His robes were handsome, and his hair washed and tucked behind his ears. They were quite the pair, she was sure. They'd dressed like it was a dinner date.

"H-Hello." She did not sound as steady as she wished. Snape looked toward Lucius as if not sure how to advance, and the latter gave a small nod.

"Lucius had dinner prepared for you," Snape said, motioning toward the door. "Perhaps you can tell us your decision there." He left, as if not able to bear the sight of her anymore. Hermione glanced at Lucius.

"He's overcome by now, just being near you," Lucius explained. "He's afraid he'll attack you without giving you your choice." Lucius put his hand on her shoulder and steered her from the room. "Now, I realize this is Christmas and humans usually eat large dinners on Christmas Day. Are you hungry?"

"Oh, well, I suppose," she said.

"Excellent," he smiled. "Are there any questions you have?"

"About becoming… one of you?"

"Yes," he said. "You may ask anything."

"I have many," she began. "Will I look the same forever? Will I enjoy food again? Can I drink? _Must_ I kill people? Is there a substitute for blood? Am I going to be myself or someone different?"

"Enough," Lucius laughed. They turned into the foyer. Hermione craned her neck to look up at the painted ceiling, admiring the skilled hand of the artist. "Yes, you'll look the same age forever. Food and drink are bearable but unnecessary. Only human blood makes you a healthy vampire. And you will always be Hermione."

"Alright," she said. "And Professor Snape. Will he teach me how to be a vampire?"

"I give you my word," Lucius said. "I give you his word."

They entered the dining room. The table was laden with every sort of food Hermione ever imagined. There were even fried bananas.

"I didn't know what you'd like," Lucius said in explanation. "Help yourself." Snape sat across the table from Hermione, his eyes never leaving her face. She wished he wouldn't stare so hard, especially while she was trying to eat, but both Lucius and Snape just watched as she lifted a spoonful of pudding onto her tongue.

"Perhaps I should explain vampire families," Lucius said loudly, pulling his gaze away from Hermione's mouth. Snape didn't look away. "There is a head of every family, an eldest, which is the oldest vampire. The eldest's family consists of every vampire he's created and every vampire they've created. For instance, the vampire that created me was an eldest, but he was recently killed."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said over her goblet of wine.

"Thank you," Lucius smiled. "Since he has passed, I am my own eldest. The head of my own vampire family, which only consists of Severus right now."

"You've only created one other?"

"Creating other vampires isn't common and isn't a light subject," he replied.

"And _if_ I choose to turn," Hermione said, "I will be part of your family, too? You'll be my eldest."

"Yes," Lucius said, looking as if he liked the idea very much. "I could forgive all your past crimes, such as burning Severus in the cabinet." His face darkened a bit at her, and she squirmed. "But he has recovered fully and no lasting damage has been done."

Hermione chanced a glance at Snape, who didn't look vindictive. Instead, he sat back and crossed his arms. His eyes focused on her but were also distant, as if his thoughts were no where near Lucius' conversation.

She couldn't eat anymore. The suspension was making her nauseous and she didn't want to be sick all over the floor. When she set her fork down, it clattered against the plate and she said, "I've made my decision."

Snape snapped out of his distant thoughts and sat straight up. Hermione wondered, if she said she'd rather die, if he'd just jump right over the table and kill her right away. Probably. He looked hungry. Lucius intertwined his fingers and looked toward Snape, his eyebrows puckering very slightly.

"Go on," Snape said, finally speaking.

"You won't leave me?" she said weakly. Was time really coming down to this moment? The world was stopping for her permission, she knew. She felt everyone was watching her, when it was only these two men.

"No," he said.

"Will it hurt?"

His face fell, and Lucius turned his concerned expression on her. "Yes," Snape said, "but Lucius and I know how to ease it." Hermione hadn't thought before about the actual process of becoming vampire, but she wouldn't change her mind now. Snape was poised for her words; what would happen after she said?

"How does one actually become… one of you? Don't I have to drink blood?" she asked.

"That's popular belief but also wrong," Lucius said. "As long as Severus doesn't completely drain your blood, the venom will be able to work through your veins. After several days, you'll be a newborn and Severus' Bloodlust will be satisfied, since your blood will no longer exist."

"Oh." Hermione felt the blood drain from her face and grow cold. The words were on the tip of her tongue - she could feel them trembling there and ready to fall off. "I don't want to die. I want…" Hermione said. She picked up a napkin and watched it shake violently in her hands. "I want you to make me a vampire."

Snape stood and walked around to her chair. Hermione panicked.

"Are you doing it now?" she squeaked.

"No, my dear," Lucius said. "We're more courteous than that. Severus will escort you to a private room."

"Come with me, Miss Granger." Snape's voice was so uncharacteristically soft that Hermione looked up in surprise and slid her fingers into his proffered palm. Lucius sipped his wine and smiled as they walked past. Hermione tried to speak, to break the thick silence, but found her throat painfully dry.

They walked into the foyer that led to a gleaming wooden staircase. Snape's hand was bigger than she remembered and much steadier than hers. And she was already entranced by him, hardly able to look away, but some noise was growing louder. It reached the front door.

"Hermione?" a girl's voice called. The double doors were positively thrown open and slammed off the walls. Luna skidded in on the marble floor.

"Luna? How did you know…"

"I brought her," Draco said loudly, walking in behind Luna and glaring at Snape. "I know what _he's_ been preparing for all day!"

"What is it now, Draco?" Snape growled, rolling his eyes a bit. Draco had his wand raised, pointed directly at Snape's heart.

"Listen to me, Granger," Draco said. Snape's hand tightened around hers. "When someone becomes a vampire, they turn into a bloodthirsty animal. Do you want to know why I hate _him_ so much?"

"Be quiet, Draco-" Snape began quickly, but Hermione cut him off.

"Yes," she said and then cringed when Snape's hand jerked around hers.

"My father turned him a few years ago, unintentionally. Father hadn't fed in weeks and Snape leaned too close one time. That was the end of it. Since Father didn't want to kill his good friend, instead he turned him. It was rather selfish, you see," Draco sneered. "And so Father was ashamed of himself and his selfishness. He didn't tell my mother what he did to Snape. Instead, he housed Snape here until the venom stopped working-"

"_Draco_," Snape hissed.

"My mother was taking care of Snape," Draco said more quietly. "Father didn't know that she took him medicines and wiped the sweat off his face everyday. Snape was their _friend_ after all."

"No more," Snape said. Hermione looked up to find his face contorted in anger and pain.

"Go on," Luna called from behind Draco.

"He woke up when Mother was tending him," Draco said. "Being so young and hungry, he attacked her without warning. I saw the aftermath. No bit was distinguishable as my mother."

Hermione felt sick, imagining what sort of hunger would tear a person to messy shreds. Snape released her cold hand.

"She was one of my dearest friends," Snape said gruffly. "I didn't mean-"

"Well, she was my mother, and you _destroyed_ her!" Draco screamed.

"Draco?" Lucius strode into the foyer and collected the scene in one glance. "Draco, what have you been saying?"

"Is that what you want, Granger?" Draco hissed and ignored his father. Hermione took a step toward Draco, looking unsurely between him and Snape. "Do you want to murder your friends because of what you are?"

"No," Hermione breathed. She heard Snape's teeth snap together behind her.

"If you turn, you'll be like them," Draco said. "You'll hurt your friends. You'll be a monster." Lucius and Snape both stiffened.

"Enough," Luna said, touching Draco's elbow. She dropped her piercing gaze onto Hermione.

"I don't want to be a monster," Hermione told her.

"She's already made her decision," Lucius announced.

"She can change it!" Luna said.

"No!" Snape said. "I'm tired of waiting for an ultimatum. She made her choice."

"To hurt friends? Good people?" Hermione turned and said to Snape.

"I won't let you," he said. "Many do not kill accidentally. I can show you…" His gaze widened and flickered over Hermione's shoulder.

"But this family's an exception," Draco growled.

"Be quiet, boy," his father hissed. Lucius' eyes were very curious on Snape.

"You," Snape growled past her. She thought he meant Draco, but Luna stepped up next to her. "You kept her hidden. That's why we could never track her when she went into hiding. You concealed her."

"What? How?" Hermione swiveled her head toward Luna.

"Your friend's been lying, Granger," he smiled. "Did Miss Lovegood perhaps give you anything to eat or drink before you went running?"

"I don't know… there was some tea…"

"With mushrooms, perhaps?" he continued.

"I've never lied, you know," Luna interjected. "The tea did have mushrooms and I told her so, but Hermione never asked what they were meant for, really."

"For concealment, Miss Granger, as I said," Snape continued. "But they're usually used for vampires wanting to remain hidden from other vampires."

Lucius made a soft noise of recognition. Luna stiffened and Snape smiled victoriously.

"You broke your promise," Luna told Snape. "You promised to never tell anyone. You said in third year, you'd never tell."

"I'm sorry, but Miss Granger needs to know there is such thing as a gentle vampire," Snape said, nodding his head toward Luna in a sort of apologetic gesture.

"Luna, you're… a vampire, too?" Hermione breathed. Her head was still spinning with the conversation. Was she hearing right?

"Bloody fucking hell!" Draco swore and jumped back. "Lovegood, you can't be serious."

"Ah, well…" Luna scuffed the marble floor hard with her toe. For the first time in her life, Hermione saw Luna look uncomfortable.

"Damn you!" Draco screamed, pointing at Snape again. "Do you ruin everything important to me?"

"I never bit her!" Snape roared back.

"No fighting," Luna said quietly. "Professor Snape never bit me, Draco. It happened in my third year of Hogwarts. I went into the Forbidden Forest to test the new Fumpplelumps Daddy sent me-"

Lucius raised his eyebrow at Hermione, and she shrugged back.

"There was a vampire in there where he shouldn't have been. He nearly killed me, but I Stunned him and dragged myself back to Hogwarts… Professor Snape was there to help me through the venom. He… He said he'd keep it a secret," Luna said.

"Have you ever bitten good people, Miss Lovegood?" Snape urged.

"No."

"Have you ever bitten your friends?"

"No! I have so very few that-"

"You see, Granger?" Snape said. "She's had no one to guide her every step, and even she hasn't bitten someone she's regretted."

"So that's why I never detected you?" Lucius said to Luna. "You've concealed yourself with… Meadow Wood Mushrooms? Exceptional!"

"I don't want people to know. I'll have even less friends…"

"I can't believe I never knew," Draco said. Luna grimaced. "I can't believe you're one of _them_!" Draco turned on his heel and stormed out the front door into the Christmas night.

"Draco, please!" Luna pressed her hands to her face, and then turned and pressed them to Hermione's cheeks instead. "Hermione, what do you want?"

Hermione barely heard Luna's questions over seeing the wetness on her friend's face. Luna's tears were heartbreaking.

"I want to be a vampire," Hermione said. She was firm in her choice now - she had to be. She couldn't turn any other way. Luna gave her a weak, shaking smile and released her.

The tension in the foyer broke. Snape's shoulders slackened again, and Lucius stepped forward and put an arm around Luna. As he steered her away, Hermione could hear him saying, "He'll come around, Miss Lovegood. I have a glass of red, aged nine years, if you'd like it warmed for you…"

"Granger," Snape called in the fresh silence. "I was a newborn. I can't even recall it happening-"

"I don't care what you did," she said - Snape's eyes glittered at her. "I'm ready and I won't be like you."

* * *

Omigod, revelations.

Next chapter... well, you know what happens next chapter. :)

Review please!

Soline


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

* * *

By the time Hermione and Snape topped the stairs, he was nearly pulling her along by the hand.

"I thought you wanted to do this!" he snarled and turned on her.

"I do!"

"Then stop dragging your feet!"

"My legs are just shorter than yours."

"Your legs-" He interrupted himself to scoff and then opened a door into a bedroom. It was dark colored and impressively furnished. "This will be your room during any stays with Lucius."

"Oh, it's very pretty."

"Yes. Pretty. Are you going to step inside?"

"Perhaps later."

"You were quite sure of yourself downstairs. What did you say?" Snape smirked and fixed a haughty expression on his face. "'_I won't be like you. I'm ready_.'"

"I can step inside!"

Snape and Hermione both looked down at the imaginary line between the hallway and the bedroom.

"Shall I carry you?" he said.

"Across the threshold? You're biting me, not _marrying _me."

"Never in your dreams, Miss Granger," he said and walked further into the room. She heard him shut the bathroom door, leaving Hermione swinging one foot in the air, preparing to step across. Surely it couldn't be so hard to take one step? She'd count to five and then… Okay, she'd count to ten-

"Good night, Hermione." She hadn't seen him coming - Lucius picked her up from behind and easily set her inside the door. Then he continued walking onward down the hallway without another word. Snape reappeared from the bathroom.

"One brave, Gryffindor step," he sneered.

"You're not allowed to mock me and bite me in the same night."

"I suppose that's fair," he chuckled.

"What were you doing in the bathroom?"

"Thinking. Thinking where I couldn't see you, because you, Miss Granger, affect me too harshly. I cannot look at you without the image of sinking my teeth into your skin. I imagine it's like the first bite of an apple, with delicate skin and a burst of delightful nectar within."

Hermione trembled in her sensible dressy flats.

"I was wondering," she began and inched toward him. He dipped his head once in acquiescence, his gaze dark and curious. "I wonder if I might… see them?"

"See what?" He didn't look annoyed, but quietly eager to understand her.

"Could I see your teeth? Your… fangs? May I?" She felt she must be sick to want to see Snape's fangs, but she was also very curious. She wanted to see how painful they looked. He didn't think it so odd though.

"Come closer then." Snape smiled as if amused by her curiosity. He opened his lips in a sort of crazed smile that would have been laughable if long canine teeth weren't hiding behind them. Hermione stood on her tiptoes to peer at them. The two teeth were as long as Hermione's trimmed fingernails, surprisingly white, and the points looked sharp as needles.

"Oh, those do look rather painful, don't they? You're not going to wriggle around once you've got them in there, are you?" she said.

"I'll try not to… _wriggle_," Snape said disdainfully. Hermione drew her hair to one side, leaving her neck bare, and waited. "Would you like to know what I was thinking about?"

"Huh?" Hermione mumbled. She had been waiting for an intrusion, not a question. "Yes, I think I would."

"I was going to make you the same offer as before," he said. Snape waited, as if looking for realization to dawn on her, and then continued when it did not. "I think I could restrain myself long enough to make it easier on you. I have no wish to badly hurt my young and first bitten. Do you remember what I'm best at?"

Hermione had never forgotten. She sometimes wondered what it would be like to have sex with Snape, especially when she was alone and hiding in the wilderness.

"Intimate-" Hermione cleared her throat. "Relations?"

"…You do understand that means sex, correct?"

"I know!"

"Forgive me, Miss Granger, but you seemed unsure."

"I _am_ unsure, you big idiot," she said, her cheeks flaming. He raised his eyebrows.

"As in, you aren't sure of the definition?" he ventured.

"No," she said, "as in, I'm not sure I've ever… I mean, I'm sure I've _never_ had… intimate relations."

His expression was incredulous and insulting.

"Well, you certainly don't want to turn a virgin," he said. "You'll be a virgin forever."

"What if, afterwards, I-"

"It'll grow back in the process."

"Oh. That's awkward."

"You've no idea," he said.

Hermione studied the situation and Snape said no more, only crossing his arms and waiting for her next words. It certainly didn't sound as if she wanted to turn while a virgin. That meant either she'd never have sex in her eternity of life, or it would be extremely unappealing.

And then there was Severus Snape, the vampire, nearly smirking at her timidity. His arrogance annoyed her, but still she wondered… just how good was Snape? What was he so proud of? Hermione's eyes fell to his crotch. Snape's eyebrows raised.

"Have you no subtlety?" he grinned.

"I could have sex with someone else," Hermione bristled and looked way up at the ceiling instead.

"Like Weasley? He's a pouf. He'd rather throw Potter's ankles in the air than yours."

"God!"

Snape snickered.

Hermione interrupted him by stepping close. She wrapped her fingers around his forearms and squeezed. His muscles were lean and hard.

"You be good to me, Severus Snape," she said, her eyes hard.

"I will be _very_ good to you, Miss Granger." The way his lips quirked made Hermione's very toes tremble.

As he pulled her toward the bed, he said, "This will be your only time as human." Snape placed the pillow under Hermione's head. "I miss that."

"Why? Isn't it better as a vampire?" Hermione wasn't even sure what she just asked. Since when was Snape's touch so light and exciting? How had he gotten her dress robes over her head so quickly? They fell on the floor with a soft thud.

"Yes," he murmured. "But it doesn't compare to how weak humans are about lust. For instance…"

His hand fell between her legs and stroked delicately.

"It is so easy," he said, his voice husky, "to make humans submit. And you do, don't you? Without thought or restraint…" Snape seemed fascinated by the way her head tilted back. His eyes held nothing but her reaction. "You have so little control, where I have too much. Even if I move from just fabric to skin…"

Snape's fingertips slid under her panties, and he was right. His flesh on her flesh, cool against searing hot, knocked the breath out of her lungs. Hermione clung to his arms like she was drowning. He smiled in quiet awe while she struggled to undo his robes.

"I won't bite before it's done. You can slow down," he said.

"No, I can't." She growled in frustration when she tried to rip his robes in half, and they didn't tear one bit. "What are these robes made of?" she cried.

"Cotton," he chuckled. "You don't have vampire strength yet, Miss Granger."

He stood to undress and Hermione scrambled onto her knees on the bed, watching eagerly. She felt her eyes tighten with want when he dropped his shorts. His tool jutted out and curved a bit. She could see veins running along its length. Hermione bit her lip and whimpered without meaning to.

"You are so pleasingly… _human_," Snape growled, crawling back over her in bed. Her uncontrolled reactions brought out an animal in him. He was all over her, and she was too human to keep up. Her panties and bra were ripped in half. The nearby pillows were torn to shreds and feathers. The sheets pulled apart in his hands as easy as bread dough. Hermione noticed none of this, because Snape's mouth wandered, and every once in a while his teeth would trail over her skin.

Hermione gasped for air, coming down from an orgasm against his lips and fangs.

"Why are you shaking?" she panted, her palms cupping his cheeks.

"Self-restraint is difficult," he whispered, sliding his legs between hers. "Your blood is so close - so boiling hot that the smell is overpowering. Fuck all."

"No!" Hermione panicked. She pressed her hands against his shoulders. "Not before we're done! Please!" Snape snarled, but he dropped his mouth onto her lips instead of her neck. The kiss drew blood.

Snape used one hand to spread her legs further, and Hermione suddenly felt herself stretched. She was in pain and in confused bliss. He kissed the blood off her mouth, moaning at the taste.

"Please," Hermione winced. His hardness was intruding quickly, and she hadn't even recovered from the original sting of breaking skin. She could feel a small, hot trickle of blood on her buttocks.

"I can _smell_ your blood, you beloved little treat," Snape growled raggedly, but he stilled himself. Hermione dug her fingernails into his back.

"Don't make it hurt worse," Hermione said. "You said you'd be good to me."

Snape slowly became less rigid and rolled his hips. Hermione gasped - suddenly any pain was fading.

"I did." Snape repositioned her legs, and he was suddenly hitting a spot that made Hermione's eyes roll. " I'm going to make you come, lovely," he said, "and I'm going to drink you. But you'll hardly feel it. You'll only feel me."

He could barely speak, and she didn't dare try. Hermione could only feel the thickness and heat of him. Snape was all that existed, and the sugary warmth building in her belly needed him to finish. Hermione dug her fingers into his hair and buried herself in the vampire's presence. His eyes were so black - it probably wasn't even so black in space. And Hermione had never seen his hair so shiny - it felt like silk in her fingers. He was sweaty but still smelled sweet and warm. Snape was kissing her face, her lips, her neck. He was everywhere.

Then he growled loudly, like an animal, and she felt a ruthless sting in her neck. It hardly mattered - Hermione's muscles were pulsing around Snape. Her toes curled until they cramped. He held her tight and pulled at her neck. Mixed noises of bliss and pain escaped her throat.

She didn't realize right away that it was finished. The warmth in her veins was replaced with something searing cold and bitter. The foreign essence made Hermione feel as if there were bugs under her skin. But then she looked up and the bed felt airy and nonexistent.

Snape's eyes glittered down at her with complete satisfaction. His lips were smeared with blood, and yet he looked better than she'd seen him in months. Hermione couldn't believe she just had sex with a man so devilish and striking.

"Are you all better?" she said.

"Yes, Miss Granger," he smiled. There was a pink flush in his usually pale cheeks. He looked as though he'd just had a delicious feast and needed to loosen his belt. "Completely recovered. No more Bloodlust."

"My insides feel strange," she managed to say with numb lips. His face fell from sated victory. Snape moved too quickly for Hermione to see. He had her wrapped in the ripped blankets in seconds and sitting in his lap.

"Try not to panic," he said lowly, tucking her hair back to peer at her face. "The venom takes a few days to work."

"It's burning now," she said. Her veins were filling with fire. Tears pricked her eyes.

"I'll call for Lucius," he said, "and we'll take care of you."

He flicked his wand and sent out a silver shadow. When she began scratching viciously at her forearms, trying to relieve the fire within, Snape forced her arms still and pulled her wet face into his shoulder. She struggled to keep scratching.

"Miss Granger, no matter what you do - even if you try to kill me again - and no matter where we are, at Hogwarts or here, you are mine." Snape's voice fell deeply possessive. "You are always _mine_."

* * *

...*smiles*

Review please, thanks for reading! More to come!

Soline


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hermione wasn't sure how long Snape held her, gripping her wrists in his hand to make sure she didn't scratch. She wished he'd let go so she could dig her fingernails into her arms. Whatever was in her veins wasn't natural. It wasn't right - it just felt evil. And Hermione didn't keep these thoughts to herself; her mouth moved with them.

Suddenly there were four hands on her. Lucius was with them, and he grabbed hold of Hermione while Snape dressed and repaired the bedding.

"She's already growing stronger," Lucius said. He caught her hand when it slipped loose. In that split second, Hermione left four long scratches down her arm. "It will only take a day or two for her."

"_Two days_?" Hermione wheezed. The coldness in her veins reached her heart, and it thudded unnaturally in her chest. Its beat was irregular. Hermione jerked in surprise and her elbow caught Lucius in the throat.

"Ow," Lucius said. He forced her onto the bed while Snape pulled the blankets back over her.

"She just a girl," Snape chuckled. "Are you bruised?"

"A girl that _you_ turned," Lucius said. "What kind of monsters are you making?"

They both laughed.

"_Shut up_!" Hermione hissed. There was boiling poison pulsing through her body, and these men were having a very merry time.

"Try to relax," Snape said.

"If you so much as _smile_ again, I will rip your fangs out!"

Snape and Lucius both cringed.

"Severus, get your potions. I'll stay with her."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Something wasn't right.

Of course, she wasn't used to having no blood in her veins, and that by itself was disconcerting. But a feeling, a shadow, had been in her mind. She tried to tell Snape that it didn't feel right, but he assured her it was okay. Nevertheless, her muscles felt hard and unusable - like concrete around her bones. The venom was thicker, like pudding, in her veins now.

And her mind raced through an unstoppable barrage of images. They were sick images. She saw red, steaming blood and ripped flesh, and it made her hungry.

"Lucius?"

"Severus just left to make brew more Fever Decelerate; he'll be back any minute."

He had just finished changing her clothes, since she sweated through the last nightgown, and was lowering her back onto the bed.

"No," she said. "Please. You aren't listening. I don't feel right."

"Of course not-"

"I can't even see you."

"What do you mean?" Lucius dipped a cloth into a porcelain bowl of water and pressed it to her cheek.

"All I can see is blood and hunger and pain," she whispered. Lucius paused. "The venom is thick - it hurts. I'm really… strong."

"I have no doubt you are," Lucius said and wet his lips. "Hermione, my dear. You must do whatever Severus and I tell you. No matter how badly you want something else, you _must _listen to us. I think… And he hasn't realized this himself yet… But do you remember what everyone's said about Severus as a vampire? Do you remember how he feeds?"

"He tore her to pieces," Hermione echoed, thinking of Narcissa. Lucius bowed his head for a moment.

"Yes. He's vicious. Violent. Sadistic," Lucius said. "Like how I was when I was a young vampire, and I fear Severus got that from me. And now that he's bitten you, you may…"

Lucius dipped the cloth into the bowl again and left his sentence unfinished.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm hungry."

"That means you're nearly turned," Snape said, reclining beside her on the bed.

"What will I eat?"

"You can drink the blood Lucius has on supply until you're ready to hunt, if you like."

"Do you remember when you took me to the café in Diagon Alley? You ordered me raspberry ice cream?" she said and rubbed her fingers into her forearm.

"Yes," he said. Snape smacked her hand away without looking over. "Stop that, or I'll Stun you. Again."

"Could I have it again?"

"You could," he said, "but I can't guarantee you'll enjoy it. There's a place in Knockturn Alley that sells blood-flavored ice cream. I'm not fond of cold blood delicacies, but you're odd. You may like it."

Hermione glared and elbowed him. Snape flinched.

"Damn it," he growled. "You're not just a girl anymore, stop punching like you are." Hermione instead rubbed the spot on his arm that she'd hit and fell silent. Her fingertips slowed and spread over his muscle, and her breath caught. She hadn't thought about the sex since they were in the midst of it, and now the memories and images and sensations flooded back to her.

Snape's body had been pale - pale and perfect. She'd never liked the buff meatheads after she dated Viktor. They rarely had any common sense. Snape, however, had intellect and a dangerous presence. She could still feel the wild, fervent animal of him moving inside her. Hermione bit her lip and smoothed down his sleeve. She had to stop thinking about sex - especially sex with Snape. It had been good… but it had been dreadful, too.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," she spluttered.

"You don't use the bathroom," he said. "You haven't for a day. So where are you going?"

"I need to… freshen… up." Isn't that what typical girls said when they wanted to get away? Snape rolled sideways, his legs falling apart. He was wearing trousers and a sweater today, and the clothes showed his physique better than robes. For one, when he propped one leg up like that she could see a faint outline of his equipment.

"Miss Granger, don't insult me. I'm willing to bet you hardly know the meaning of 'freshen up.' Furthermore, freshening up isn't needed. I don't suppose you've looked in a mirror lately? So where are you going?"

"Stop asking so many questions!"

"It's really just the one."

"Well, you keep asking it!" Hermione huffed and rolled off the bed.

"Get. Back. Here," he growled, reached over, and tugged her back down. "Don't dodge me, what's wrong with you?" He didn't even give her a chance to answer. As soon as he forced her face toward him, he hissed, "Legilimens."

There was one quick flash of an image. _Her face screwed up in pain and uncertainty. Snape's own expression was darkly frightening as he thrust against her. There was blood on her shaking, colorless lips._

Snape pulled away, shoving his eyes into his palms. Hermione, tears hot on her cheeks, tore off the bed and into the hallway.

"Hermione?" She raced by Lucius with a silver tray in his hands. "Wait!"

But she was fast now, and she had a head start. As soon as she was outside the boundaries, Hermione Apparated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"More tea?"

"Oh, definitely," Hermione gushed and let Luna refill her tea. They each fell into one oversized armchair and sipped out of mugs.

"Does it hurt anymore?" Luna asked.

"No," Hermione said. "I feel strangely…"

"Brawny?"

"I guess," Hermione giggled. She took a giant gulp of Luna's tea and dropped her head onto her friend's shoulder. Luna's house was odd but very comforting. There was a fire place roaring in front of them and bright, oversized furniture all over the place. "Do you think he's looking for me?"

"Him and Lucius both," Luna said. "Lucius was very kind when I was upset about Draco." Hermione peered up at Luna.

"So you and Draco have a thing?"

Luna grinned into her mug and said, "Maybe. Possibly. I don't know yet. Don't you think he's gorgeous?"

"Um. Yes." Hermione gulped her tea again. Things were beginning to go fuzzy like the first time. She was sure the hallucinations would begin soon. "Luna, what should I do if I'm hungry?"

"Well," Luna said matter-of-factly, "you've got to go home. Professor Snape and Lucius will take care of you."

"Can't you get me something?"

"Oh, no!" Luna said. "I don't have anything on supply, and I'm not taking you first hunting. Professor Snape should be there for it."

"Like a parent wanting to be there for his baby's first steps?" Hermione said sarcastically.

"Sort of. Hey, you do see the bunny over there?"

"The one picking flowers again?"

"Yes."

"Yes, I do. I think Snape felt awful about the sex…" Hermione said. Luna's shoulder was beginning to feel very comfortable.

"Yeah," Luna said quietly. Her head was beginning to nod. "And I'm sure, if not so troubled, he could be very… filling… fulfilling… and filling." She and Hermione burst into peals of giggles. Then Hermione thought of something that sobered her.

"Luna, you turned in your third year, didn't you? Were you… were you still a virgin?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luna sighed. "But I was hoping to try it just once… Maybe Draco… Want to chug the rest?"

"Cheers." The girls clinked mugs together and threw their heads back until all the hot tea was in their bellies.

"Do you see," Hermione laughed, "the nifflers in tap shoes?"

"Ooh, they found tiaras!"

"Oh… Come, niffler, I want one. Oh no, he gave it to the bunny."

Luna's head nestled on top of hers, and Hermione's eyes drifted shut.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She was starving. She couldn't stop thinking about biting into people. She even had visions of squeezing someone's blood out to drink it from a clear glass. The thoughts made her feel queasy and hungry at the same time.

So she said goodbye to Luna in the morning, with a slight tea hangover, and returned to the Malfoys. Hermione didn't meet anyone in the foyer or in her bedroom. Only when she started toward the kitchen to look for Lucius' blood supply did she hear their voices.

"No one's seen her, and there haven't been any reports of violent attacks," Lucius was saying. Hermione pressed her ear to the door, although it was hardly necessary. Her hearing was amazing. "What did you do to scare her away?"

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it!" Snape seethed. Hermione jumped several inches - he sounded furious.

"I hope you didn't pull this temper with her," Lucius said. "You've got to learn to be more patient. She's very young-"

"I know that!" Snape said. "I know it better than you!"

"Don't be impertinent!" Lucius roared. The entire house shook from something that banged inside the kitchen. Hermione could hear sounds of struggle, like the two vampire were fighting and matching each other's strength.

"Is this your example of patience?" Snape spat. He sounded strained.

"You were a full-grown man when you turned - you need a firm hand," Lucius growled. "She is not the same case. Merlin's balls, stop fighting. Let's sit down."

There was a brief silence. Hermione could hear one of them tapping their fingers on a table.

"She was a virgin," Snape said quietly. The tapping stopped. "You know she can't turn that way."

"Severus… you shouldn't have been the one to do it. Even I would have been better suited, not saying I should have been," Lucius said quickly.

"No one else deserves her."

"Anyone else would have been gentler. Your actions were reddened by violence and hunger!"

"Enough!" Snape yelled and then fell quieter. "I know I didn't make good decisions. I'm paying the price."

"She'll forgive you," Lucius said after some silence. "I'm sure Hermione's fine, and she'll be back soon."

"Can't see why," Snape said. "I've been the girl's personal monster."

Hermione suddenly remembered where she was and who she was eavesdropping on. She smoothed down her nightgown and hair and opened the door.

Lucius looked up from where he was sitting at the oak table, and Severus from his spot brooding against the wall. Snape's expression was an unguarded array of sourness, concern, and relief.

"Where have you been?" Snape growled and stepped toward her with such force that Hermione fell back into the doorway again.

"Severus," Lucius warned.

"I was with Luna," Hermione said and fiddled with her sleeve cuffs. "We had a lot of her tea."

Lucius smirked at her. "Do you have a bit of a headache, my dear?"

"A bit," she smiled. The smile quickly faded when she looked at Snape. He had his arms crossed by now and was positively steaming.

"You could have _killed_ someone!" Snape said.

"Isn't that the point of me?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Severus, she just spent the night with Miss Lovegood. She hasn't hunted yet," Lucius intervened.

"I don't care - it was stupid and careless to leave on her own!" he hissed.

"You attacked my mind! You didn't even give me a chance to explain!" Hermione growled and stamped her foot at the same time. There was a loud cracking sound as the marble floor split under her. "Oh, Lucius, I'm so sorry. I didn't know I could… Am I able to, I don't know, push it back together?"

"It can be fixed," he said and started toward the door. "For now, Severus, learn to be patient." Lucius disappeared through the door, stepping over the thin crack in the floor. Hermione peered up at Snape.

"Do you want me to apologize?" she asked through her teeth.

"No," he said. Snape dragged his hands through his black hair. "Sit down. Are you done turning?"

"I think so. Aren't I? I feel good." He seemed nervous - he kept pacing and glancing at her.

"Yes, you turned excellently," he said and Hermione saw a glimpse of a smile. "But I wanted to talk about that night. I wasn't fair to you."

Hermione squirmed.

"I realize it was your first-"

"No!" Hermione said and jumped up. "I really don't want to talk about it!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger," Snape hurried. His face was screwed up in concentration. "I'm sorry for how I treated you. I'll… make it up to you."

Hermione met his eyes. The man seemed to be laying himself bare for her. He was distraught, obviously frustrated, and very anxious. He definitely didn't often apologize.

"Okay," she said, "could I have something to drink? I'm hungry."

Snape straightened his back, pulling himself again into the guarded and intimidating man she knew.

"Well," he said and smiled slowly in anticipation. His fangs had already lengthened. "Let's hunt, Miss Granger."

* * *

Please review! Thank you!

Soline


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hermione changed into Muggle clothing Lucius had provided in her room. She stopped in the bathroom to see how awful she looked (she hadn't showered or brushed her hair in days), but the mirror made her think her eyesight went bad.

The girl in the mirror was herself, it was Hermione Granger, but the girl was also… gorgeous. Her skin looked like ice - like Snape's - cool and clear and striking against her dark eyebrows. Her lips, however, were pale and no longer held the rose color of before. Hermione pressed her palm to the mirror.

"A vampire…" she whispered to herself. This is what it felt like to be a vampire. Beautiful and hungry.

She pulled her eyes away and hurried downstairs where Snape was talking to Lucius, who looked rather excited. The older man turned on Hermione.

"Would you like a glass for starters? You may want to get accustomed to the taste first," Lucius said.

"No, I want to drink from hum-" Hermione stopped, suddenly ashamed and she shuddered. An instinct to drink from humans was overpowering - it nearly controlled her thoughts. "I mean…"

"Don't be embarrassed," Snape said.

"It's in your nature to drink humans," said Lucius. He took her hand and led her onto the porch.

"We'll go to Knockturn Alley - I always do. You won't feel so bad about feeding there. We'll run, not Apparate," Snape said and smirked at her uncertain look. "Do what I do. Are you ready?"

"I think so." Snape turned and sped away - Hermione was sure she wouldn't be able to see him if she hadn't become a vampire. Lucius gave her a parting smile before she ran after Snape. Her feet barely touched the ground. She couldn't even feel it zooming under her. She sensed trees coming before she reached them, so she never slowed. When she reached Snape's side and he looked at her, Hermione laughed out loud.

"This is incredible!" she said. Her grin must have been infectious because Snape returned it. "How far have we gone?"

"About ten miles now," he said. Hermione raced ahead of him, ignoring his protests.

"Am I faster than you, Snape?" she called. He shot some stinging response at her but Hermione didn't hear. She was feeling better than she had in months. She had freedom again, and that was something to be happy about. No one was trying to kill her anymore. She was alive, in a roundabout way.

They reached the back entrance of Knockturn Alley and stopped for a small breather. Hermione was exhilarated.

"Do you know what it means to have a vampire with color in her cheeks, and she hasn't even fed?" Snape said, peering at her and down the Alley.

"What?" Hermione clutched at a stitch in her side.

"It means she's happy," he said shortly and then raised his eyebrows at her breathless state like, _I told you so_. "Just as well. We're going to see humans soon, Miss Granger, and you're going to lose a bit of yourself. You're going to get hungrier than you've ever felt, and you'll act on every instinct."

"Like an animal?"

"Exactly like that," he said. "But I'll stay with you. Come on."

Snape led the way in Knockturn. The sun had fallen behind the west end of buildings, and shadows were beginning to creep and slither around them. But Hermione wasn't afraid - now she was one of those monsters everyone was scared of.

"Something smells… good," she said. A tendril of a smell called to her. It was sugary sweet and warm, like the smell of the best Christmas dinner Hermione ever knew and better. "It's here…"

Snape didn't say a word and he didn't stop her. He was her shadow, letting her lead and turn corners. Hermione sniffed hard when she saw a darkened figure stumbling down the alley.

"Snape…" she whispered. Her own mind was slipping away. A hunger so red and strong rose like it was alive.

"It's alright, lovely," Snape breathed close behind her. He sounded hungry and husky. "Go get her."

Hermione walked forward until she could see her victim. The witch looked like a prostitute in her twenties, but she was prettier than most of them. For the first time, Hermione felt her fangs slide out of her gums and she didn't mind the slight pain of it.

"Hello, darling," the prostitute said, seeing Hermione. "You look curious. I do girls, too, you know."

Hermione smiled, enjoying the way the older girl looked at her body. No one had ever looked at her like it before.

"Name your price," Hermione said and took the chance to sidle closer. The nearer she got, the higher her senses rose. She could smell Snape's emotions where he stood in the corner like he was made of flowers. He was hungry, and he was lusting now.

"Tell you something," the girl said. "I'll give you a deal, pretty girl, because I could enjoy a fuck with you. Twenty galleons."

"Oh, that's high," Hermione said, shaking her head like she was disappointed. A thought struck her. Could she seduce people like Snape always seduced her? Hermione lowered her head, trying to make her eyes sparkle like Snape's would. "In fact, maybe you should pay for me. You'd be surprised how this pretty girl's tongue can curl."

The prostitute's lips parted. She looked dazed, enraptured. Hermione curled her arms around the girl's shoulders and pulled her close. She felt the girl's breasts press against her own. She pushed the girl's hair aside.

Hermione whined deep in her throat. The blood. The girl's blood was hot and only a piece of skin away. The smell and desire was driving her mad. Hermione couldn't feel her sensible mind anymore - she couldn't think straight - she couldn't remember how she'd even gotten there.

All she wanted was to strip the skin off the girl. Maybe pop a hole in her and hang her over a keg. Or perhaps Hermione would drink her bit by bit, slowly draining her life. No. She was starving. She was blind with it.

The girl gave a strangled scream as Hermione bit down hard, and a magnificent burst of fluid filled her mouth. Hermione swallowed, sucking loudly. The girl fell to the ground because Hermione was pushing her teeth down so hard.

A chunk of flesh came off in her mouth, and Hermione spat it out in a hurry. Eating people seemed a great deal more disgusting than drinking them. Snape was only paces away now, watching with a rapt gaze. His chest heaved.

"Stay away from her!" Hermione hissed. Her voice didn't sound like her own.

"Every bit is yours," he said, not even glancing at the girl.

But, nothing was her own. She had no control.

Nothing existed but the hunger.

Hermione whipped herself again on the shrieking girl and submerged underneath the redness.

* * *

"Merlin, she's covered in it."

That was Lucius' voice in her dreams, Hermione was sure of it. Why was the world being shaken?

"When I told her to give into the animal, I never thought she'd be so violent," Snape said. "Quick, clean her before she wakes up and goes into shock."

A tingling wind rushed around her, causing Hermione to open her eyes. She was suspended in Snape's arms and Lucius was working his wand over her.

"What happened?" she croaked. Her mouth was sore. Snape looked down at her with an unusually pale face.

"Bring her into the sitting room, Severus," Lucius said. "I'll get some potions…" Lucius walked away, mumbling names of potions to himself. Snape walked and set her on a white sofa. He squatted down in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" His smile looked forced.

"My teeth hurt," she said. Snape let out a short laugh. "But I'm feeling… really great, actually. Did something go wrong?"

"No," he said and moved to sit beside her. "No… Well. We'll have to practice your restraint."

"Oh God, what did I do?" Hermione began shaking.

"Don't think about it now - give it some time."

"No, I want to see," she demanded.

"No," he said, his voice hard. "Sit down. Stop panicking."

"Snape, let me see! I want to see what I've done!" Hermione straddled Snape's lap and found she had the strength to grab his face.

"Hermione," he warned. He was sad for her - his eyebrows drew up. "You don't want to see this."

"Legilimens," she said, using Snape's own trick on him.

_Hermione was finishing with the prostitute, but only a piece of her. Mangled body parts were strewn across the cobbled alley. Snape's face was a mix of horror and captivation. She dropped what looked to be an arm and stood again. _

"_Miss Granger," Snape ventured. Hermione flicked a burning gaze onto him. "If you're finished-"_

"_I'm not finished," Hermione hissed. She sprinted down the alley and Snape raced after her. Someone exiting Borgin and Burke's was unlucky. Hermione snatched the man up and dragged him into a corner. _

"_Granger," Snape said._

"_He's _mine_!" The man gave a pitiful shriek as she descended on him. The ripping sound of flesh filled the alley. Snape didn't dare step any closer in case she lashed out. He waited until she emerged from the darkness. Hermione was covered in blood and bits of her victims. _

"_You're done now," Snape said firmly. "That's more than enough."_

"_Who are you to say?" she spat. _

"_I made you. I say you're done feeding!"_

"_You can't make me," Hermione grinned in a way very much unlike herself. She turned to run again, this time toward Diagon Alley. _

"_Granger!" Snape caught her easily and shoved her down. The stones cracked beneath them. "We're going home. Stop… fighting! Hermione!"_

_Snape fumbled for his wand, barely holding her still, and shot red sparks at her head. Hermione fell still. Snape gasped for breath over her, then stowed his wand and cradled her to his chest. _

Hermione sat back. Lucius had come while she was in Snape's head. His warm fingers pushed her hair away to peer at her face.

"Hermione?" Lucius said.

"The potions, Lucius. She'll need the Dreamless Sleep, too," Snape murmured. While Lucius grabbed the vials, Snape pulled Hermione tighter on his lap. She dropped her forehead on his.

"I'm a terrible monster," she whispered.

"No-"

"A terrible girl…" Snape pushed his thumbs over the tears on her cheeks. Lucius handed him the vials so Snape could pour potions between her lips.

"When you wake up," Snape said, handing the empty vials to Lucius, "we'll work on your control. I can teach you."

"But I don't want to feed again," Hermione cried. Snape sighed.

"All right…" He said, wrapping his arms around her back and under her bottom. Hermione settled her face into the crook of his neck, wetting his collar, while he carried her to her room.

* * *

Hello! I apologize for disappearing but I'm doing NaNo WriMo and it's called for every bit of my attention. Sorry, but fanfiction may be slow this month and that's why this chapter is shorter, but I'll do what I can! Maybe a one-shot to vent off stress lol.

Review please! :)

Soline


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